The Hunted
by The Flame Alchemist 13
Summary: The Huntsman is the newest problem Central city has to deal with. Not much is known about him other than the fact that he is killing innocent people. Ed is furious about it and after an encounter with him he becomes the Huntsman's next prey. (Full summary inside) Parental!Royed. NOT YAOI!
1. Chapter 1

**Full summary:** The Huntsman is the newest problem Central city had too deal with. Not much is known about him other than the fact that he is killing innocent people. Ed is furious about it and after an encounter with him he becomes the Huntsman's next prey. The blond Alchemist is no match for the murderer and most are wondering how much longer Ed has to live before he too, becomes prey to the ruthless killer.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Ed walked down the snow covered street of Central City. It was -6 degrees and the freezing wind kept blowing his hat off his head every time he attempted to pull it over his blond hair. His flesh hand was numb even though there was a glove covering it.

"I hate the damn cold," Ed muttered bitterly, his golden eyes glaring at the snow that gently fell from the sky.

"Stop complaining," Al said, clearly irritated by his older brother's constant complaints about how he hated the snow and cold.

The two brothers continued to trek through the snow. Several minutes passed before Ed suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze fixed firmly on the crimson blood that splattered the white snow. Ed looked around and spotted more blood splattered on the ground, each drop staining the snow red.

Ed noticed that each drop of blood connected and formed a trail that led into an alley. He walked forward cautiously and eventually took a hesitant step into the darkness of the alley.

It was darker than he expected. He allowed a few moments for his eyes to adjust before he risked it and walked further into the alley. He suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in shock. He heard a clang and Al appeared beside him.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Al asked, his metallic voice echoing throughout the alley.

"A-Al." Ed's voice trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at a bulky shape that lay at the back of the alley about three feet from him. "It's a-" His voice broke and he never managed to finish his sentence.

Sure enough his thoughts became reality when he saw, even in the vast darkness, the mangled body of a human. Its body bloody, covered with deep gashes that crisscrossed the skin. The eyes appeared to have been scraped out, leaving behind only bloody pools in the empty sockets.

Ed's heart pounded in his chest as he continued to stare with wide eyes at the dead corpse.

"Big brother, look!" Al was shaking his shoulders, trying to get his attention.

Ed pried his gaze away from the body and looked to where Al was pointing. Amid the setting sun and falling snow, Ed managed to make out the shape of a person standing on the top of a building. Ed blinked and he was gone.

The blond shook his head roughly to clear it and looked over at Al. "Alphonse, go get the Colonel and tell him about him." He pointed his thumb at the body. "But leave out the the part about what we saw on the building. Got it?"

"What are you going to do?" Al asked.

Ed glanced at the roof of the building for a second before directing his attention back to Al. "I have something I need to check out."

* * *

Ed walked along the frozen, snow covered roof of the building where he saw the person standing. His gaze darted back and forth as he carefully scanned his surrounding's slightly blurred by the increasing amount of falling snow. The snow on the roof was untouched and it didn't appear that anyone had been up their for a while.

He walked a few more steps before coming to an abrupt halt. There, a faint outline of someones shoe with the snow surrounding it slightly kicked up. Seeing that made Ed positive that he saw someone up there, and judging by the upturned snow they just left.

 _What's going on here?_ Ed thought. He walked carefully towards the edge of the roof, careful to make sure that he didn't miss anything else. He looked over the edge of the building and had a clear view of the alley and murder below him.

"Fullmetal, what are you doing up there?" Roy's voice called up from the dark alley.

Ed looked closer and saw Roy Mustang looking up at him from where he stood just inside the alley. The blond easily Transmuted a staircase using the stone that surrounded him and walked back down into the alley. Once he was on solid ground he Transmuted the staircase back to it's original form and headed over to Roy.

"Did Al show you yet?" Ed asked.

`Roy shook head. "He told me that you would show me."

"Follow me." He headed further into the alley but when he looked back he saw that Roy wasn't following. "Aren't you coming?"

Roy nodded and began to follow him. Ed reached the spot and pointed at the body but he kept his gaze away from it. He didn't like seeing the many horrible gruesome ways that people had their lived forcefully taken from them and the final terror filled expressions that lay forever frozen on their lifeless faces.

Roy walked closer to examine the body. He looked at it closely for a minute before standing up straight and fixing his dark gaze on Ed. "Fullmetal, I want you to come with me to HQ. Now." There was a demanding authority in the older mans voice as he spoke to Ed.

Ed didn't know why he suddenly wanted him to go to HQ, but he didn't have anytime to ask because he felt a chill run down his spine and a whisper sounded on the breeze. Ed felt his heart pounding painfully against his rib cage and he looked around to find the same person standing across the street.

Ed and the person stared at each other for a brief moment before it suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye. He continued to stare at the spot well after it disappeared.

Someone was shaking his shoulder and he snapped back to reality. He blinked a few times and saw Roy staring straight at him. A hidden emotion was in the older man's eyes as he stared down at Ed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Ed nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Roy looked around anxiously and then grabbed Ed by his arm. He walked quickly back to HQ with Ed trailing along behind him.

The blond's mind was absorbed in his thoughts and he didn't pay any attention to where he was walking until he slipped on the snow and landed hard on the ground. There were screeching tires and Ed saw a car slamming to a halt just before it hit him. Roy ran over and pulled Ed away from the street.

Ed was still shocked at what happened. He was almost hit by a car.

"Ed, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Roy asked within seconds after the car stopped. Ed couldn't find the words to answer. He was still staring at the car with wide eyes, terrified as he realized that he could have died if he was hit.

"I'm fine," Ed answered after a long pause. He rose to his feet and walked away from the car. All he wanted was to get as far away from the car and street as fast as he possibly could. He hated to admit it, but he was scared, terrified as he continued to think about how he nearly died. His legs trembled slightly and he wished that the event didn't happen.

He began to walk towards HQ again, his legs still shaky. Like Roy, Al seemed to be terrified as well. Ed knew what it felt like to be alone, to see your brother disappear before your eyes. He never wanted Al to experience that unseen pain.

When he finally reached HQ, Roy dragged him to his office and locked the door once the two brothers were in their with him. Roy headed to his desk and sat down. He laced his fingers together and put his chin on his hands as he stared intently at Ed.

"Fullmetal, take a seat. I want you to tell me everything."

Ed fell heavily onto the couch, thankful to sit down and relax. The longer he stood the more his legs shook. He looked at the Colonel, who stared back at him.

"You can start," Roy told him. He sounded different. There was a kind look in his dark eyes that took away the cold expression that usually dominated his face.

Ed took in a shaky breath. He didn't want to tell Roy what he saw on the roof, he'd probably think he was crazy. "I-I can't tell you."

"And why's that?" Roy was staring straight at him, curiosity shining in his dark eyes.

Ed shook his head and looked down at the floor. He couldn't seem to make up his mind overpowered with jumbled thoughts. He couldn't think straight and he was soon standing up, walking towards the door. He didn't know why he was leaving, but something inside him told him to go.

"Fullmetal, wait," Roy ordered.

Ed froze, his hand reaching out to grab the door handle. He turned to look at Roy and saw the older man walking over to him. Ed pulled open the door but Roy pushed it shut again.

"Let go of the door," Roy ordered. When Ed didn't react, he pulled Ed's hand away from the handle and looked him in the eye. "Why don't you sit down for a minute? You can tell me when you're ready."

Ed nodded awkwardly and sat down on the couch beside Al. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he breathed out a small sigh and looked at Roy.

"I saw _it_ again." His voice was small as he spoke. He couldn't manage to talk loudly for some reason.

"What is _it_?" Roy asked.

"I don't know exactly what _it_ is." Ed released a slow breath. "But I have a theory."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"What I mean is that the last time a saw _it_ I almost died. I think _it's_ trying to kill me again" Ed watched Roy with saddened golden eyes as he waited for a reply. Roy looked at Ed for a minute before letting out a long laugh. By the time he was finished he was holing his sided as he tried to stop the unstoppable laughter that shook his body.

"I'm sorry Fullmetal," Roy gasped out between laughs.

"You damn bastard!" Ed shouted. He stood up suddenly, startling even Al. "Stop laughing at me!"

"It's just too funny," Roy laughed.

"Shut the hell up!" Ed walked out of the office and slammed the door behind him. He walked down the hallway as fast as he could, trying to get as far away as he could from Roy's office. He felt the anger boiling down deep inside and knew he had to release it one way or another. As his anger reached his peak he punched the wall with his flesh hand, creating a small crack in the white painting.

His angered action attracted the attention of Major Armstrong. He walked over to Ed and looked down at him.

"Edward Elric, it appears that you're angered," He said in his deep voice. "Why's that?"

Ed turned his golden gaze to glare at the Major. "Why do you care?"

The major looked taken aback by the harsh tone in Ed's voice, but he stayed there and continued to look down at Ed. His height was beginning to make the blond Alchemist feel smaller than he was.

"I care because I don't like seeing people mad like this." He looked down at Ed with kind blue eyes.

Ed sighed in slight irritation. "The Colonel won't believe me."

"Hmh, and why's that?" Armstrong asked.

Ed shrugged and turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. "'It's nothing. I have to go."

"And where are you going?"

"It's none of your damn business," Ed snapped. He began to walk down the hall, not really knowing where he was going to go. He just wanted to get away from HQ and everyone in it.

He walked out the front gate of HQ and down the snowy street. The sun was nearly set and the air had dropped several degrees, he ignored the claws of cold and kept walking. He jumped at every sound, every gust of wind sending a shiver through his body, but it had nothing to do with the cold.

He walked until his legs ached, until most of him was numb, until he was too cold to think clearly, but he didn't stop his quick pace. The sun was soon gone and all that brightened the land was the moon and the stars that glowed dimly in the dark sky.

He lost track of how long he had been walking. The cold was becoming close to unbearable by the time he decided to turned back. He didn't think that he was going to make it, he was getting cold and had little to no feeling in his flesh.

When he got to HQ he walked straight to his dorm and dived beneath the blanket on his bed, pulling it tight around him. It was only a few seconds before he found himself slowing sliding into sleep, thankful for the warmth that spread throughout his numb body.

* * *

"Ed, wake up. It's important!" A voice shouted at him as he opened his eyes.

Alphonse was standing over him, his pale white and red eyes staring at him. Ed sat up and yawned. "What is it Al? What's so important that you have to wake me up this early?"

"Nothing," Al said with a concealed laugh.

Ed pulled the blanket back over his head as he sat up. He pulled it tight around him, feeling unusually cold. Then he realized the open window that blew the cold winter air into the small room. Ed shot a glare at Al and pointed at the window.

"Why's the window open?" He asked.

Al let out a nervous laugh. "Well, you see. It was getting hot in here so I uh-"

"Did you forget that you can't tell hot from cold?" Ed asked quizzically.

Al looked around before letting out another nervous laugh and taking a step away from his older brother.

Ed got out of bed and threw on his red coat. He turned to Al. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

Ed gave Al a long look. "I'll tell you in a minute." He turned to the door and began to walk. "Hurry up."

Al followed, still with no idea where they were going.

* * *

Ed looked around the snowy streets until a shadow shot past in the corner of his vision. He turned fully and saw a woman walk into an alley. He walked forward cautiously but stopped suddenly when he saw someone follow her into the alley. Ed took off at a run, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Wait, stop!" He shouted. But he was too late.

By the time he got into the alley the innocent person was already gone, killed in a brutal way. Ed then saw the murderer, it was his first good view of _it_.

 _It_ didn't look like a normal human would. A large black trench coat covered most of its body and a black hat was placed over top of it's head. His clothes were all black and a large obsidian ax was held in one hand while the other hand was covered in a thick layer of bandages with crimson blood faintly glowing beneath it. His eyes were black the shone like a polished obsidian stone. They sent a spark of anxiety through Ed the longer he stared at them.

 _It_ then suddenly disappeared in a slit second and all that was left were the words, _You are next_ , written in glistening crimson blood on the wall of the alley.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Hunted. I'd like to give a big thanks my best friend who has been working with me to create this amazing story.**


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 **Chapter 2**

Ed could only stare at the words, the glistening scarlet blood that originated from the body of the woman that lay unmoving on the cold, snowy ground. Ed found himself falling to his knees, what he was seeing too much to take in all at once. Al was beside him in a few seconds. Trying too turn him away from the bloody body.

"Come on Ed," He said gently. "We should go."

"You don't understand, Al," Ed whispered in a voice shaking from fear. "It was _him_ again. He's he's coming after us next. He's-" Ed voice broke and all he could do was lower his head in shame as he sat before the body that was never to move again.

He was overridden in a shame that felt like it would never go away. He gazed at the body and knew that it might be _him_ next. Lying there, dead, at the hands of a murderer. He couldn't stop himself from shaking, his fear increasing.

"A-Al, I..." Ed's voice trailed off.

A loud bang came from behind him and when Ed turned he saw it standing just outside of the alley. There was another bang as it banged the ax on the ground. Ed only stood there, frozen in spot, as the enemy came charging at them.

It attacked. Ed was filled with an undying terror as the man did his first blow. The blond was hit in the gut with the flat of the ax and was pushed further into the alley. He fell hard in his back and scrambled out of the way just as the ax came down right where he was a few moments before.

Ed found himself unable to find a way to Transmute before the ax came around to hit him again. He had some very close calls. He was knocked off his feet again and fell hard to the ground. The ax came down but Al blocked it before Ed was impaled.

The armor sacrificed his arm to protect him and Ed finally found time to transmute. He clapped his hands and slammed them against the cold cement, creating a spear to use as a weapon. With a battle cry Ed threw the spear and it went straight through it.

Both him and Al stood there in shock and it swung it's ax and almost managed to cut Al's legs off. He would have succeeded if Al didn't dodge in time. It turned to Ed and advanced. It repeatedly swung it's ax and Ed was hit several times. The blows weren't bad, but it was painful whenever the black obsidian blade cut through his skin, leaving behind deep bloody gashes.

Ed was beginning to get exhausted by the endless dodging. Al couldn't keep up with the fast movements of the ax as it swung back and forth. When Al advanced, It Kicked him away and knocked Ed into the wall of the alley with great force. With a swift movement, It managed to yank Ed's automail out of the port and toss it behind him onto the ground.

It raised his balled up fist high into the air and brought it down hard on Ed's head. Something jabbed him in the back of the head and Ed crumpled to the ground. He felt his eyes closing, his vision darkening. He saw it walking away from the alley before everything turned black.

* * *

Al ran over to Ed as fast as he could and frantically shook his shoulders. He wished that he could feel things so he could check to see if his brother had a pulse. He noticed the blond's chest slowly rising and falling with every breath he took and relief filled him. Al lifted Ed up with his remaining arm and noticed that the back of his head was bleeding, staining his golden hair red. Al knew he had to leave quickly, he had to get Ed help.

The armor gently laid Ed back on the cold ground and quickly grabbed both his and his brother's arms, shoving them into his armor. He walked back Ed and lifted his limp body off the ground. Ed groaned and Al felt himself growing worried for his brother. Holding Ed tightly, Al made his way quickly back to Central HQ. He had to let Roy know what happened and Ed needed help,

As he walked down the street several people looked at him in confusion as if wondering why there was a suite of armor walking down the street carrying an unconscious boy in his arm. Al made it back to HQ in minutes and immediately headed for Roy's office.

He opened the door and Roy looked up, confusion covering his face. He noticed Ed and leapt to his feet. "Alphonse, what happened to you guys?"

Hawkeye, who was standing beside Roy, walked over to Al and looked down at Ed. "Alphonse, put him on the couch."

Al nodded and immediately placed Ed onto the couch. Ed groaned slightly as his head touched the couch. Roy walked over and got Al's attention.

"Alphonse, why is Ed beat up?" He asked with a demanding authority in his voice.

Al glanced at Ed before launching into the story, not skipping a single detail. As he talked, Hawkeye carefully treated Ed's wounds. He was soon finished and Roy stood there, his eyes containing a shocked look.

"Are you _sure_ that was the person who attacked you two?" He asked.

Al nodded. "It was. Do you know him?"

Roy sat down heavily in the chair that sat across from the couch Ed was currently lying on and sighed. "Yes, he's the one who's been murdering people all around Central. He calls himself the Huntsman. Not a single person had survived an encounter with him."

"But me and brother are still alive," Al pointed out with slight hope.

"That's what worries me." Roy released a breath slowly. "I suspect that he's going to attack you until you two are dead."

* * *

Ed didn't know what was going on. All he saw was a vast darkness that appeared to be closing in on him from all sides. He felt trapped, unable to escape the darkness that threatened to suffocate him. He slowly became aware of distant voice around him, gradually growing louder every passing second.

He slowly gained his other senses. He felt hands touching him and he wondered who was doing it. His mind was foggy and he couldn't seem to think straight. Slowly, he became aware of searing pain all over his body, especially in the back of his head.

He let out a slight groan and and rolled over, doing so only allowed more pain to explode throughout his soar body. He gave up rolling over halfway and fell back onto his back. The tired blond forced open his bleary eyes and saw nothing but blurry images. He blinked a few times for his vision to clear and once he could see properly he sat up, rubbing his soar head. It took him another moment for him to realize that his automail arm was gone.

"So you're finally awake?" An amused yet serious voice said from somewhere off to his right.

Ed looked over and saw Roy sitting on the couch opposite of him, his chin on his hand. He was watching Ed with amusement that danced in his dark eyes.

Ed then noticed that he was in Roy's office and he looked at the Colonel questioningly. "How'd I get here? And why does my head hurt like hell?" He rubbed his pounding head which only made the pain worse. "Oh, and where's where's my automail?"

"Alphonse brought you here after you were knocked out." Roy paused. "It appeared that you were in a fight. Considering how many gashed that are covering all your body I'm guessing that you lost. As for your automail, I believe that Alphonse still had it with him."

Ed looked away from The Colonel, remembering the fight he just recently had, the fight that he lost. It angered him that he had lost so easily, it wasn't even a fight. All that happened was Ed getting beaten with an ax and then it was over. He looked around, suddenly realizing Al's lack of presence.

"Where's Al?" He asked after confirming that Al wasn't there for sure.

"He went to the store with the Lieutenant," Roy replied simply.

Ed nodded. He adjusted himself so his back could lean against the back of the black couch. The two of them sat in silence for a while before Ed asked a sudden random question. "Do you have any water?"

Roy shook his head. "Sorry, are you thirsty?"

Ed shook his head. "Had nothing better to ask."

The silence returned and Ed had nothing better to do than stare at the wall on the opposite side of the room, his golden eyes drooping down as weariness settled over him. His head lowered and in a few minutes his hand that his head had been leaning on went slack and Ed lost his balance, falling to the floor with a loud bang.

Well, at least now he wasn't tired. That was the only bright side to falling onto the floor. Pain returned and Ed swore before sitting back on the couch. He noticed Roy was trying not to laugh and he secretly planned a way to get him back for laughing at him.

Not a single idea appeared in his foggy mind that was usually alive with ideas. He leaned back further into the couch and felt the pain that had lingered after falling slowly die down until it was a dull throb.

His irritation grew the longer his automail was gone. A thought suddenly occurred to him. He had to get the automail reconnected. He let out a sigh, he wished that his arm was there and that he could get it over with. _What's taking Al so long?_

As if on cue, the door opened and Al walked in. Ed felt a sudden burst of anger when he saw that one of Al's arms were missing.

"Brother!" Al ran over to him. If he had facial expressions Ed would have guessed he would be smiling as he hugged Ed as best as he could with one arm. As the cold armor gripped him Ed's body exploded in pain once again.

"Al, you're hurting me," Ed growled. Al released him a moment later and Ed sat there for a minute, waiting for the pain to die down. But it didn't. He looked up at Al, trying his best to conceal the pain. "Alphonse, where's my arm?"

"Oh." Al opened his chest plate and pulled out Ed's automail arm. He handed the steel arm to Ed, who grabbed it with his flesh arm.

He stared at the automail with dread as he prepared to put it into the port. He took in a breath and slammed the automail into the port on his shoulder. Pain flared up their as the nerves were connected. His face twisted in pain and once the pain decreased he leaned against the back of the couch, out of breath and exhausted like he usually was after the nerves were connected.

"Fullmetal, are you okay?" Roy asked with a nervous edge to his voice.

Ed forced out a laugh. "I'm fine. Pain doesn't last forever."

"Why does it hurt to put your automail on?" Hawkeye asked.

"The nerves have to get connected.," Ed explained. He began to remember the first time he got the nerves connected. It came as a great surprise to him having never expected it to hurt so much. He rose to his feet and headed for the door. "Come on Al, lets go."

"But brother," Al protested. "You're hurt. Shouldn't you rest?"

Ed turned to look at Al. "I'm fine Al. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Your brother's right Ed," Hawkeye said. "You were in bad condition when Al brought you here. You're lucky that we didn't take you to the hospital."

"I'm fine and that's the end of this pointless conversation." Ed walked out of the office and down the hall. Once he rounded a corner he leaned against a wall and sank down to the ground. He didn't expect his body to hurt that much but he wasn't going to stay in that damn office forever.

He heard someone walking in his direction and someone turned the corner. Ed's eyes widened at the sight of the Huntsman.

The ax came flying down and Ed narrowly avoided the fatal blow. He leapt to his feet and dodged another swing. The battle was the same as before, Ed unable to attack, only able to dodge the never ending attacks. After dodging a swing that would have killed him in he got hit, he tripped over his own feet and went falling to the floor.

With no time to react the ax came down. It collided his leg and left a deep gash that ran across his thigh, leaving a tear in his black pants and ripping painfully through his flesh. Blood ran down his leg and onto the floor and Ed knew that he wasn't going to last much longer.

He found time to Transmute his automail and went charging at the enemy with no fear in his mind. He swung his automail but it went straight through him, not leaving a single mark. It was just like the last time, psychical attacks had no effect on it.

Ed didn't know how he had any hope of beating an enemy that couldn't get injured, let alone die. He dodged yet another fatal blow by falling to the ground and rolling out of the way. He was getting exhausted, his leg was searing with pain and was losing too much blood as the red crimson ran down his leg at a steady pace.

He kept dodging until he heard footsteps on the floors, gradually getting louder as they came closer. Ed knew that wasn't good. If anyone came they might die. Roy rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ed.

With his guard down the enemy had a clear opening and attacked. Ed dodged just in time before his head was cut off. He hit a wall and the enemy advanced. Ed ducked low and rolled out of the way quickly. He was out of breath and Roy was walking towards him, unable to see the person who was attacking Ed.

"Wait! Don't come any closer!" Ed yelled as loud as he could. Roy didn't listen and walked closer. The enemy turned to Roy and took a step closer.

He was going to kill Roy. Ed knew he had to do something quick. Once it raised the ax to strike Ed ran forward and took the blow himself. The force of the blow pushed him into a wall. It approached him and kicked him hard in the stomach. Ed fell to his side and couched. It then vanished suddenly, leaving Ed and Roy alone in the hall.

"Fullmetal!" Roy was at his side in seconds, hovering over him.

Ed pushed himself up and looked around the hall, every part of him on the lookout for it. Roy looked at him anxiously, his gaze drifting to Ed's bleeding leg.

"You're hurt," Roy announced.

"Like I didn't notice," Ed muttered. He rose to hims feet and took a step forward. His leg was still bleeding and he was beginning to get dizzy. Roy appeared to be worried about him because he strayed no more than a foot from him the entire time. Ed made a turn to go to his dorm but Roy pulled him into his office.

"I'm not going in there," Ed protested.

Roy ignored him and shoved him into the office. Ed stumbled forward, lost his balance, and fell to the floor. He stood up quickly, embarrassed for falling. He heard a noise behind him and Havoc ran into the office, out of breath and looking as if he's just seen a ghost.

"Colonel, something happened," he said between breaths. "Twelve people just died because from stab wounds that appeared out of nowhere."

Roy froze where he was halfway to his desk and stared wide eyed at Havoc. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is its _him_. The Huntsman!"


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

It's been three days since Havoc burst into he office with the horrible news, and that was only the beginning. In the last three days the Huntsman has killed more people daily, the number of reported deaths only increasing as the days went on. 85 victims in three days, and the murders never seemed to end.

Central city was complete chaos. People were dying left and right, the number of murders increased every hour, most of the military still had no idea who was killing. However, Mustang's team knew everything. Ed had spent the past three days trying to figure out a plan on how to find out the identity of the Huntsman. Finally, on the third day a plan was made.

The plan was simple enough but if it were to fail they might not make it out alive. They were all putting their lives on the line to complete the plan, and Ed knew it was probably going to end badly.

"Are you sure you want to go on with this?" Roy asked with slight concern in his voice.

Ed nodded with a whole new found determination in his golden eyes. "I want the Huntsman caught as much as you do, I'll do anything to prevent any future deaths."

"You do understand it's possible that you'll die?" Roy asked with serious tone in his voice.

Ed nodded again. He didn't care what it took, he was going to bring the Huntsman down even if it cost him his life. He had to remember that his everyone's lives outnumbered his and it wouldn't matter if his was taken.

He released a slow breath and fixed Roy with his golden gaze. "I'm ready. Lets put this plan into action."

* * *

Ed walked into the alley, his heart pounding was pounding so loudly he was surprised that all of Central couldn't hear it. The darkness surrounded him, rapidly closing in on all sides and chasing away the last wisps of light that had any chance of illuminating the vast darkness. A part of him told him to run away as fast as he cold but he couldn't bring himself to abandon this plan.

The fate of Central city was settled on his shoulders, weighing him down if he even dared take a step back, away from the path he's chosen when volunteering to go through with this plan. His heart continued to beat rapidly and he tried to steady his breaths.

He walked forward until he came to the back of the alley, the dead end. He paused, now all he needed was for the Huntsman to appear and then-

There was a sudden chill that ran into the alley, thought it had nothing to do with the cold. He knew what that meant. The Huntsman was there. He released a slow breath before turning around and coming face to face with the killer.

The Huntsman's black eyes stared at him from beneath the rim of his hat, his ax held in his hand. Ed mentally prepared himself for the fight that was drawing nearer every second he stood there. He waited, waited for the Huntsman to make the first move. But he didn't attack. Instead he banged the bottom of the ax on the ground and Ed couldn't believe what he was seeing. A wall of stone rose up out of the ground and sealed off the entrance to the alley, blocking off the only exit.

Ed was trapped and he know knew that he was going to have to fight. Before the Huntsman had a chance to attack he Transmuted his automail into a blade and stood there rigid and ready. The Huntsman faced him with his weapon in plain sight. Ed wasn't sure if he would be able to defeat him but he knew that he had to try.

With a battle cry, he made the first move. He shoved his blade through the center of the Huntsman but just as before, he didn't appear hurt, not even fazed by the attack. Ed dodged a swing and the blond came around for another attack. After noticing that one eye was hidden by a layer of bandages he decided to attack there, on his right side.

He got him. Ed's blade went right through him but just like every other time the Huntsman remained unharmed. The Huntsman began to attack as well, swinging it's ax and nailing Ed in the gut with the handle. Luckily it wasn't the blade or he would've been a goner.

Ed stumbled backwards and hit a wall. He dodged yet another attack by the Huntsman and he began to wonder if the fight was ever going to end.

 _Focus on the battle,_ Ed thought to himself as he found himself repeatedly drifting off into thought. _Stay focused. Don't look away from him._

Ed narrowly dodged another attack and found himself with his back pressed against the corner of the alley with the Huntsman steadily approaching with his ax ready to deal the final blow. With a jolt of horror, Ed realized that he was trapped with nowhere to run. The ax was swung and Ed managed to dodge, barley.

He slid beneath the Huntsman and shoved his automail blade in the enemy's back. The Huntsman remained unharmed ad sung his fist behind, nailing Ed in the gut and sending him flying across the alley to be thrown against a wall.

He staggered to his feet and faced the Huntsman again. He was getting exhausted with all the dodging and the wound on his leg had reopened and was slowly oozing blood. His hand clutched his stomach as struggled to breath.

The Huntsman slowly advanced with his ax raised. Ed failed to dodge that time and the ax collided with his side, leaving a gaping wound in its path of destruction. Ed fell sideways and hit the ground with a large thud. The Huntsman came closer and Ed knew that he was going to die and their plan was going to fail.

The Huntsman then changed. Bone-like wings sprouted from his back and the Huntsman turned to face Ed, ready for the final kill. Ed was too weak to move, too weak to live. He knew that he was going to die eventually so why not now? A single tear fell down his face as he painfully awaited death sprawled out on the ground. The ax came down and Ed collapsed into a void of darkness, possibly forever without ever seeing the light again.

* * *

Roy knew something was wrong. The alley was now silent with no sounds of fighting coming from it. Roy ran over and quickly drew the best transmutation circle onto the wall with a pen he found in his pocket, he was desperate. It wasn't perfect but it worked and the barrier into the alley disappeared and Roy immediately ran in. He looked around before spotting Ed lying on the ground.

Roy ran over and knelt down, shaking the small blood-soaked body. Ed winced and opened his eyes. His eyes were so full of hurt, so full of pain. They were glazed over and dull. Roy noticed the gaping wound in the boys stomach after blood fell from his mouth. Roy removed his coat and frantically held it against the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Colonel?" Ed whispered in a voice cracking from the amount of pain he was in.

"Ed, just hang on," he pleaded, but Ed was already fading; fast. His pulse was getting weaker and weaker beneath Roy's shaking fingers and he feared that it was going to stop altogether. He held Ed's body closer to him and Havoc appeared beside him.

"Sir, I've called an ambulance. It should be here soon."

Roy didn't remove his gaze off the dying Ed for the entire time until the next thing he knew Paramedics were taking Ed away on a stretcher and putting him into an ambulance, only to be driven away quickly.

Roy stood up quickly and ran to the car, hoping to get to the hospital when Ed did. He drove the speed limit but had a hard time doing so. He needed to get there, he had to see Ed. He finally parked his car in the parking lot about twenty minutes later and he jumped out, running into the building and straight to the front desk.

"I'm here to see Edward Elric," he panted.

"I'm sorry sir, visiting hours are over," the receptionist said.

"I need to see him now!" Roy banged his fist on the table in frustration when the receptionist continued to refuse.

"Sir, are you Edward's Elric's father?" A voice asked from behind him.

Roy turned around and saw a doctor, at least he thought was a doctor, standing about three feet from him.

Roy shook his head. "I'm his superior officer and I look after him. He had no parents."

"He's awake now. Do you want to see him?" The doctor asked.

Roy nodded and was led down the halls. The doctor stopped with his hand on a door handle. "Please be careful. He's still in bad condition so he shouldn't move too much."

Roy walked into the room and felt his heart sop when he saw Ed. The boy was propped up on several pillows with a thick, very thick, layer of bandages wrapped around his midsection. His face was unbelievably pale and he looked downright terrible.

Roy walked over and sat down on a chair beside Ed's bed. "Hey Ed, how to do you feel?"

Ed looked at him for a moment before his eyes filled with tears. They fell down his face and he wiped them away quickly. Roy felt his heart break when he saw Ed like that, it just wasn't like him. Roy didn't know what to do. Ed never cried. He eventually pulled his chair closer and took Ed's hand in his own. Ed's held on tighter and dived for Roy, his face twisting in pain from the movement.

"I-I was s-so s-scared," Ed whimpered, his hands weakly gripping Roy's shirt. "It, It hurt's C-colonel. I-I'm s-scared."

Roy couldn't stand seeing Ed in so much pain. He had just openly announced that he was scared, and to Roy. Roy gently held Ed as the young boy silently cried into his shirt. Eventually the sobs died down and Roy pulled Ed away.

He was still awake but his face was twisted in pain from the amount he's moved and a layer of sweat covered his face. Roy kept his hand on Ed's back as he lowered him back onto the pillows. Ed winced but soon settled down.

Roy couldn't manage to tare his eyes off the broken body of the small boy. His chest rose and fell unsteadily and his face was too pale to be good. He was covered in bandages and still had dried blood on him. The doctors probably haven't had time to clean it off.

Ed's pained golden eyes stayed fixed on Roy with an undying hope. He was so brave. He almost died earlier and he was still alive. He really was a strong kid, that was for sure. Roy ran a hand through Ed's golden hair and his golden eyes closed as he relaxed. The tears stopped falling and he was still. His rising chest was the only proof that he was still alive.

"Maybe you should let him rest, you can come back tomorrow," The doctor spoke up, obviously noticing Ed's exhaustion.

Roy stood up to leave but Ed reached out a shaky hand and grabbed a hold of Roy's shirt.

"D-don't go" he cried weakly. "Y-you can't l-leave."

Roy looked at the doctor and he sighed. "Edward. Roy had to go."

"I-I won't let him," Ed announced in a shaky voice. His weak grip tightened until his knuckles turned even whiter than they already were. Roy didn't know how he was going to leave anymore. He looked at the doctor who sighed.

"You can stay here the night if you want," he finally agreed.

"Thank you," Roy said. He sat down and pushed Ed's bangs out of his face. "Edward, I'm staying here for the night, got it?"

Ed nodded and his grip loosened slightly. Roy watched Ed's breathing even out as he slid into sleep. Roy held Ed's hand in his own, promising never to let go and vowing to never let anything happen to Ed again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N...I'm going to be saying this now. This story is NOT yaoi and it's just a father/son relationship between Roy and Ed!**

* * *

 _I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

Ed slowly recovered from the attack in the hospital. Everyone of Roy's subordinates have come by and visited him on multiple occasions. Ed was getting better but the wound on his stomach was still bothering him greatly and he was up and down in fever. Sometimes he was perfectly fine while other times he was throwing up over the side of the bed. Roy still felt bad for him and knew that he was going to have a permanent scar on his stomach.

Ed was sleeping at the moment and Roy sat in a chair beside the bed watching his youngest subordinate's chest rise and fall with each breath. He looked so innocent and defenseless as he slept. He was so hurt and Roy blamed himself. The plan was his idea and now Ed was lying in the hospital because of it.

Roy carefully held Ed's hand in his own and stared down at him with a kindness in his usually cold eyes. The boy meant so much to him and it always hurt him to see Ed in so much pain. He heard someone walk into the room and he turned to see Hawkeye walk in. She walked over to Roy and looked down at Ed.

"How is he?" She said quietly so she didn't wake the sleeping boy.

"His fever's going down," Roy replied. "The doctor said he's noticed that being in the hospital has put quite a lot of stress on him and he's allowed to come stay at my place when his fever breaks."

Hawkeye nodded sympathetically. "He'll be happy when he hears that."

Roy heard a small sound coming from Ed and he directed his undying attention to the small boy. Ed shifted his weight in the bed before settling down again. He was whimpering and sweat was running down his face. Roy didn't know what to do. It looked like the boy was having a nightmare and he was powerless to do anything. He looked at Hawkeye pleadingly.

The Lieutenant sighed. "You're seriously that clueless?"

"I'm not clueless," Roy protested.

"Really?" Hawkeye raised one eyebrow and looked questioningly at Roy.

The Colonel sighed in defeat and turned back to Ed. The small boy was weakly gripping the edge of the bed and whimpering every few seconds. Roy shook Ed's shoulder and small boy's eyes opened slowly. There were full of pain with tears welling up in them, threatening to spill out at any minute.

They did fall all at once and Ed hit his face beneath the blanket, embarrassment taking over. Roy pulled back the blanket and placed a hand on Ed's shaking shoulder. His sobs were heavy and his face was now wet with tears.

"Ed, it's okay," Roy told him gently.

Ed looked up at Roy but couldn't manage to stop the steady flow of tears. Roy couldn't stand seeing Ed like this and he took a seat at the edge of the bed. Ed immediately jumped at him and buried his face in Roy's shirt. He gripped Roy's shirt with shaking hands and clung tightly onto him. He was so small and helpless, his actions reminding Roy that he was still only a kid, a kid who never experienced a real childhood.

Roy held onto the small trembling body and did his best to comfort him. Ed wouldn't let go and his sobs were just as heavy. Roy adjusted Ed so he was sitting on his lap and hugged the small boy. Eventually Ed's sobs began to die down and his head fell against Roy's chest. He was so helpless and Roy couldn't bring himself to let him go.

Ed still clung onto Roy's shirt as he soundly slept with his head resting on Roy's chest. The Colonel gently wiped away the tears that covered the boy's face and smiled. At least he's done something right.

He gently moved Ed back onto the bed and heard the boy whisper out something beneath his breath. "Love you...bastard"

* * *

Ed opened his eyes slowly and saw Roy smiling down at him. Tears began to form in his golden eyes and he held them back. _Shit. Why the hell am I crying?_ He wiped his eyes but to no avail. Tears began to flow down his face and he didn't even knew why.

"Ed, is something wrong?" Roy asked quickly, his voice overridden with concern. Concern for _him_.

Ed shook his head. "I'm fine. Don' know why I'm cryin' though," he mumbled.

"Ed, the doctor said you're free to go," Roy said as if he was trying to cheer Ed up.

His breath caught in his throat and he asked something he would never imagine asking. "C-can I s-stay at y-your p-place?" He asked between the heavy sobs that shook his body.

Roy nodded sympathetically. "That was what I was planning from the start. Now come on, Hawkeye's waiting."

Ed tried to follow Roy. He _tried_. He would have fallen on his face if the Colonel hadn't caught him in time.

"I'll carry you if you want?' Roy asked and Ed gave another surprising response. He nodded his head. One Ed was successfully on Roy's back the older man made his way through the halls and outside to Hawkeye. He signed the release papers earlier that morning so they wouldn't have to waste time. He placed Ed into the back seat only to find that the small boy was sleeping. Roy smiled and got into the passenger's seat.

As Hawkeye drove to Roy's house, he kept looking back to check on Ed. The blond was fast asleep and looked so peaceful. His mouth hanging slightly open and his head leaning against the cool glass window. His chest rose and fell with each even breath he took.

Roy remembered what Ed had said in the hospital room after he fell asleep and Roy felt the same way. He loved Ed like his own son, he always had. From the moment he set his eyes on the crippled boy he knew he wanted him to look at him like a father, that's one of the reason he asked Ed to join the military. He wanted to spend more time with him.

It was roughly a fifteen minute drive from the hospital to his house and luckily Ed slept through the whole ride. Hawkeye parked the car and Roy opened Ed's door. He didn't want to wake Ed so he carefully lifted him out of the car and into his arms. Ed stirred but stayed sleeping as Roy walked to his door. The only problem was getting his keys.

He tried to grab them but he was carrying an unusually heavy boy in his arms and couldn't reach his keys in his pocket. Hawkeye then walked forward and swiftly unlocked the door with a twist of her own key. Roy raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Where'd you get a key for my house?"

Hawkeye shrugged. "You have a bad lock. Shave the teeth off the key and it'll open in a second."

Roy made a mental note to get a new lock before walking into his house where he placed Ed on the couch. Ed immediately rolled over and let out a slight groan as he rolled onto his newly healing side. Roy gently rolled him onto his back and placed a thin blanket over him. He smiled and thought about how adorable Ed looked when he was sleeping. The small blond was snoring softly with a thin trail of drool rolling out of his open mouth. Roy let out a small chuckle before walking over to Hawkeye, who was still standing at the door.

"You can come in, you know?" Roy told her.

Hawkeye saluted. "Thank you sir." She walked into her house. "How's Ed?"

"He's sleeping." He glanced in Ed's direction and then back at Hawkeye. "I can't help but worry about him. He's not acting himself."

"Just give him some tine," Hawkeye told him. "He's been through a lot in the past through days. You can't forget that he almost die and must be in a lot of pain right now."

Roy nodded understandingly before walking back into the living room and sitting in a chair across from Ed. He kept his dark gaze fixed solely on the sleeping boy, his sight never once wavering for a second. Ed's flesh arm dangled over the edge of the couch and his breathing was deep and relaxed, nothing like it was while he was in the hospital.

Roy pushed away the golden bangs that had fallen in front of his face and smiled down at the sleeping boy. There was a great admiration in his eye. Ed was so strong, stronger than anyone he knew. If Roy was the one who was taken into the hospital because of fatal injuries he probably would have given up. Not Ed, he was stronger than that. Roy knew that Edward Elric wasn't going to let an injury stop him from what he set his mind to.

* * *

Ed awoke to a sharp pain in his side and he grimaced as the pain shot up his side and through his back and down his leg. In conclusion, the pain had a mind of it's own and was trying to make him suffer. Ed let out a small groan and had a feeling that someone was near him. His suspicion was proven to be true when he saw familiar dark eyes staring down at him.

"Good afternoon Edward," Roy greeted, pulling back to give Ed more room. The blond sat up and winced as the pain in his side only grew. "Are you okay?"

Ed nodded and released a slow breath. "I'm fine." He put on a fake smile to prove it. He shifted his weight on the couch but the pain continued to increase until his eyes were shut tight and he was biting his lower lip.

Roy was beginning to look more and more concerned. He shook Ed's shoulder gently to get him to look at him. The blond turned his head and fixed Roy with his large brilliant golden eyes. His golden eyes now dominated by pain. There were footsteps on the wooden floor and Hawkeye walked silently into his line of view.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she took a seat beside him on the couch. Ed nodded his head. He didn't want to worry Hawkeye or Roy so he thought that it was best to lie. He didn't like to lie but he thought it was for their best.

As he sat there trying to convince them that he was fine, a shiver ran down his spine and he had a sudden eerie feeling. Something wasn't right. Something was terribly wrong. It wasn't until he saw the growing shadow on the wall and heard the raspy breath that he knew something bad was going to happen. He stiffened when he came into his view. He was in the middle of the room but only he could see it.

The Huntsman fixed Ed with it's dark eyes and lunged forward without hesitation. Ed tied together all of his strength and leapt over the back of the couch. He made it in time and the Huntsman's attack missed. He was the only one who could see it and because of that he knew the oncoming fight would only in disaster. There was only one thing he could do. He had to protect Roy and Hawkeye with his life or see them perish. With a battle cry he charged at the Huntsman, ready to face the tragic death he knew was soon to come.

* * *

 **A/N...Sorry if it took me so long to post this chapter (I got lazy with proof reading). Hope you enjoyed. I'd really appreciate any feedback, it helps me post faster and better chapters. So if you have any time I'd be really grateful to hear your opinions.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N...Thank you to everyone who reviewed last Chapter, if it weren't for you this chapter wouldn't have been posted so fast. I want to give a big thanks to TransformingTurtle for giving me the idea for this chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

Ed Transmuted his automail into it's signature blade and attacked. Roy was confused to as why he was attacking nothing in particular. Ed kept swinging his blade through the air as if he was trying to attack some invisible enemy. The it dawned on him. Only Ed and Al could see the Huntsman. If only Al were there then he could help Ed. But he was back at HQ with Havoc, too far away to get here fast enough.

Ed was suddenly thrown against a wall and crumpled to the ground in a small heap. He didn't move and Roy knew that something was wrong. He didn't know what he could do. He couldn't see the enemy and Ed wasn't going to last much longer. He blinked and then suddenly it happened. He saw a hideous creature standing in front of him, just a few feet away. A pure black trench coat covered a majority of it's body and an equally dark hat was on it's bandaged and bloody head. There was the biggest obsidian ax in its hand and bandages covering the other that hung by its side. Its eyes were the most startling thing. Eyes that were as black as polished stone.

Roy reached into his pocked and yanked out his ignition glove. He immediately snapped his fingers and the Huntsman exploded in a ball of fire. Roy dashed over to Ed and shook the unconscious boy. He didn't wake up. Roy turned back to the huntsman and saw it heading over to Hawkeye, who repeatedly shot bullet after bullet at the hideous creature.

Suddenly the Huntsman changes. Bone-like wings spread out of his back and he floated in the air before shoving past Roy with great speed and grabbing Ed. The Huntsman then flew out of the window and disappeared. Roy immediately chased after it but by the time he got to the window neither Ed nor the Huntsman were anywhere in sight.

"EDWARD! FULLMETAL! ED!" Roy shouted, but to no avail when the only answer was a soft breeze. He fell to his knees, defeat overcoming him. Ed was gone and he didn't know where he could be. He didn't know where to look. He failed. He failed Ed.

* * *

Ed opened one groggy eyes but saw nothing but darkness spreading out in front of him. He didn't know what was going on. Why couldn't he see and why the hell was he tied to a chair? It was true. His hands, both flesh and automail, arms were tied to the arms on the chair and his legs were tightly bound to the legs on the chair. His irritation was growing when he discovered that the reason he couldn't see was because something was tightly wrapped around his eyes.

He couldn't remember why he was here and he didn't even know why every muscle screamed when he moved. He eventually stopped struggling and sat still. No point trying to escape when he knew where was no hope in doing it. The thing that confused him was that he still had his automail. Maybe if he could scratch a Transmutation circle into the chair he could escape?

The only problem was that he couldn't move his right arm. Not even the fingers. So that was out of the picture.

"Ahh, so you're finally awake," A cold voice sneered from somewhere off to his right. He hear footsteps and then breathed in the distinct scent of wine. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Who in their right mind drinks that stuff?

"Who are you and where am I?" He demanded in a voice full of venom and cruelty that it surprised even himself.

"Why do you want to know?" The voice asked. The footsteps faded a bit but then returned. Something sharp drove it's way into Ed's flesh arm and he gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut tight. "I just want to have a bit of fun. So how about we start?"

"You bastard," Ed growled, his voice betraying his great pain.

"That's not nice," he man said innocently. "Now what toy should I use this time? Ahh, here it is" Ed's blindfold was removed and he saw, for the first time, the face twisted into a wicked grin. The man standing before him had bright red hair and cold eyes with a murderous glint in them. There was a shining steel knife in his hands. The blade was run along Ed's cheek and he gritted his teeth.

The man pulled back and carelessly wiped the blood off the knife before tossing it behind him. Ed ignored the blood that ran down his face and kept his gaze fixed solely on the man as he looked closely at Ed's flesh arm with interest. Finally he undid the thick leather straps that bound it to the chair and in one swift movement bent the arm in a way it shouldn't be bent. Ed screamed out in pain as he felt warm blood roll down his arm.

"You don't like it?" The man asked. Ed never answered and he most likely took the silence for a 'no'. He reached his hand over and grabbed a razor-sharp dagger off a table next to him. It was as black as the obsidian blade the Huntsman wielded and Ed knew that it was most likely made out of obsidian as well. And he knew how sharp that rock was. Without hesitation, the man drove the black blade straight through his arm again, pulling it down and savoring the way Ed screamed in agonizing pain. The man's laugh rang out through the small room, echoing off the thick walls, bouncing back and burying Ed.

As the blade was ripped slowly out Ed felt it tearing his flesh, sending droplets of blood flying through the air, making the pain even worse. Ed gritted his teeth and hung his head. The pain wasn't going away and his breathing was growing shallow. The man kicked Ed hard in the gut and then left.

"See you soon," He called before exiting the room. Ed sat there for a minute before succumbing to the darkness that begged to suffocate him.

* * *

Ed opened one bleary eye. It's not like he wanted to see the sharp blades and chemicals that surrounded him, something inside told him hat he had to wake up. Something was going to happen, something bad was coming and he needed to be awake for it. His heart pounded painfully against his chest, rapidly and without slowing. His gaze swept the horrid room he was in and soon landed on one particular object that stood out among the others.

The Huntsman's obsidian ax leaned against the far wall, reflecting the dim light that hit it, sending the pitiful rays around the dark room. Ed's breath caught in his throat when he saw the Huntsman himself pick up the ax. It came out of nowhere and then disappeared without a trace, without any sign that he was there.

"So you're finally awake," the cold voice from yesterday snarled from behind him. Ed tried to get a better look but the agonizing pain and the fact that he was bound to the chair prevented him from doing so.

"Shut up," he snarled instead.

The man appeared in Ed's line of view and frowned. "Is that any way to treat your elders?" he asked in a voice with the faintest trace of scorn.

"I don't even know you," Ed growled through clenched teeth, ignoring the torturing pain that came with every word he choked out. "Why the hell should I respect you?"

The man drove the foot long obsidian dagger into Ed's left arm without a moments hesitation. He fixed Ed with his gold eyes and the blond bit his lower lip, hoping that by doing so it would ease the pain. But it didn't. The man savored the way Ed's face twisted in pain and the way his breaths were shallow and raged. He enjoyed seeing him like this and was most likely going to torture Ed until he was pleased, which didn't seem very likely.

He twisted the blade while it was lodged in Ed's flesh and then yanked it down, cutting a jagged gash in the already scarred arm. Ed squeezed his eye's shut tight, trying to block out the pain but as soon as he did that pain flared up on his forehead and then it traveled down his face until it ended at his chin. The pain still remained even after the dagger was done inflicting damage on him. Blood seeped into his parted lips and the sickening taste of iron filled his dry mouth. He ignored it and forced open his eyes. He saw the man standing there with an amused look on his face.

Little did Ed know that was the last thing he was going to see. He saw the man lift a vial of clear liquid and in a couple swift movements poured the contents of it into his eyes. His golden eyes burned like hell. It felt like the chemical was burning his eyes, lighting and relighting them on fire. He shut them tightly but the pain remained, in fact, it only seemed to get worse.

He cried out in pain and heard diabolical laughter followed by the sound of a camera. It confused Ed but he had more important things to worry about. He couldn't tell if his eyes were watering from the pain or if it was tears running down his bloody and scared face. He bit his bottom lip until there was a hole in it and that only made him bite harder. He hated this. The pain was too much, the pain that flared throughout his entire body. He felt scared. He didn't know if he was ever going to be saved or if he was going to die there, it that dark room with nothing but pain as unwanted company.

* * *

Roy paced his office. One day ago it happened, one day since he's gotten any sleep, one day since his world fell down around him. He sent Al to Resembool as soon as Ed was taken. It was hard to convince the armor that his brother was fine but eventually Al was on the train to Resembool. Roy wondered if he should have told Al that Ed was kidnapped but he didn't want to worry him. Was it bad that he was keeping the young boy in the dark?

Roy pushed the thought aside and focused on finding Ed. He was clueless where to look first. He didn't know where Ed could be and he's been searching since it happened. He sent Havoc, Fuery, Falman, and Breda to search the streets but no one has seen a single hint of the missing boy. He was losing hope until Hughes walked into the room carrying a newspaper in his hand. There was a grim look on his face as he approached him. He handed Roy the newspaper.

"I think you'd better see this," He said, his voice a clear sign that something was wrong.

Roy took the paper and saw the headline. His eyes widened when he read the article.

 _'A man calling calling himself 'The servant of the Huntsman' sent a letter to the newspaper company that said: 'I have the Fullmetal Alchemist in my possession. Give me every military file if you wish to see the boy live.'_

Roy looked down and saw a picture of a small boy, no doubt Ed, strapped to a chair with notable gashes tracing his body. He looked horrible and Roy saw an address on at the bottom of the picture, the address to where Ed was.

"Hughes, gather a team of men and meet me downtown in ten minutes. Make sure Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman are there."

"Why?" Hughes asked.

Roy glanced out the window with murderous eyes. "I'm getting Ed back. I'm using force and not giving them what they want."

* * *

Roy burst through the doors of the pub, attracting the attention of everyone who happened to be in there at the moment. He walked forward and to the counter, where he fixed the man behind it with a murderous look.

"Where are you keeping him?" He growled, his voice low and menacing.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about?" The man burst out nervously.

Roy for some reason believed him. But he wasn't leaving without answers. "I need to speak with your boss."

Just as he said that he saw a man walked through a door with faint traced of blood on his clothes and hands. Roy ran over and threw him against a wall. "Where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently. Roy knew he was lying. He pointed his ignition glove at the man, ready to snap his fingers if necessary.

"Tell me now," Roy ordered.

"Do you have the files?" The man asked. Now Roy was sure he had Ed.

"Give me Ed and I'll give you the files," he growled. He gritted his teeth so he didn't kill the man right then and there.

"He's down stairs. Although I'm not sure he's doing too well," the man informed as if it was the best thing in the world.

Roy roughly pushed the man out of the way and pushed his way down the creaking stairs. He emerged into a small dark room and when he saw Ed his heart nearly stopped. His youngest subordinate was tied to a chair, bleeding profusely in various locations. His flesh hand was twisted at and odd angle and his skin was so pale Roy could have mistaken the small boy for dead. But he wasn't. His chest rose and fell with each ragged breath that he took into his lungs.

Roy ran over and began to untie the thick leather straps that cut the boy's pale skin with trembling fingers. Once Ed was free Roy held him close. The blond opened his eyes but then closed them again. Roy stood up and made his way for the door, carrying Ed carefully in his arms.

He emerged into the bar and was stopped by the man. "So, where are my files?"

"Don't have them," Roy admitted. "Left them back in my office."

"Why you." The man tried to attack but Hawkeye shot him before he came anywhere close to touching Roy. That's when everyone in the pud began to attack them.

"Colonel," Hawkeye called out. "Take Ed and get out of here. I can deal with them."

Roy nodded and ran, leaving his subordinates to fight the many men and occasional woman that swarmed them. Roy burst out of the building and into the light outside. He realized at that minute Hughes was behind him.

"Roy, we should take him to the hospital," He told him.

Roy nodded. "Yeah, his arm doesn't look too good." He glanced at the bleeding arm that had a hint of white jutting out from the skin. His bone.

A minute later the three of them were in a car, heading to the nearest hospital. Roy looked down at Ed and whispered a few words beneath his breath. "Don't worry Ed, everything's going to be fine." And for a split second Roy saw a small smile on Ed's pale face. When he blinked it was gone. Roy smiled himself, maybe he was imagining things?

* * *

 **A/N...So how was it? I'd really enjoy to hear your opinions about this chapter and if you have any ideas of what should happen next I'll see if I can add them into the story. Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

Everything hurt. Every breath felt like his lungs were ripping open and his head pounded with pain. He tried to roll over but felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He then risked it and opened his eyes. Nothing. He panicked. What was going on? Why was everything dark? His heart raced in his chest and he couldn't breathe.

"Ed, relax," Roy's voice said gently. "It's okay."

Ed listened and tried to steady his uneven breaths. It was hard but soon he was breathing normally. "Colonel, w-where are you?"

"I'm right beside you, Ed" Roy said gently.

Ed turned his head and opened his golden eyes. He saw nothing but an endless tunnel of darkness spreading out before him. "Why is it so dark?"

There was a long pause, then finally, "It's not dark."

"But?" Ed didn't know what to say. He felt himself panicking again but tried his best to hide it. "But everything's so dark. I can't see anything."

"It's okay," Roy whispered gently. "Everything's all right. Don't worry."

"W-what's going on?" Ed demanded, his voice growing higher pitched as fear took over his words. "I can't see anything. I-I'm scared Colonel."

Roy wrapped his arms around Ed's trembling body. There was a small sigh followed by a kind voice. "You would have found out eventually-"

"Hey Roy!" The voice of Hughes announced. "You told Ed that he's blind yet?"

"B-blind?" Ed asked in a trembling voice. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I was getting there Hughes," Roy growled. His voice softened. "It' true Ed. But don't worry.'

"Don't worry?" Ed said in disbelief. "You're saying I'm blind and you expect me not to worry?" He shut his eyes tight and pushed away from Roy. He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them. He ignored the pain that flared throughout his entire body and stayed there. Curled in a ball and trembling. The room was quiet after that, no one said a word as Ed sat there, his emotions too complicated to figure out.

* * *

"Hughes, you didn't have to tell him," Roy snapped.

"Sorry Roy. I thought that you already told him," Hughes said innocently.

Roy pointed at Ed as he sat curled up in the bed beneath the thin blanket. "'Does it _look_ like I told him?"

Hughes glanced at Ed and then shook his head. Roy sighed. He gently shook Ed's shoulder and when the boy didn't answer he carefully pulled the blanket off on him.

"Give it back," Ed mumbled weakly. There wasn't a way for him to regain the blanket himself because his automail arm was gone and his flesh hand was horribly broken. Roy didn't listen to the demands of the small boy and rolled him onto his back. Ed tried to protest but when he opened his mouth all that came out were coughs.

Roy still felt bad for Ed. The boy who's experienced more pain than he's ever had. His experience seemed like a walk in the park compared to Ed's troubled past. He lost his mother, his father abandoned him, tried to bring his mother back to life and now his brother's a lost soul. So much pain that a kid his age should never experience. He reached out one hand and gently placed it on Ed's shoulder. The blond jumped but quickly settled down after realizing that it was only Roy. He never opened his eyes once since he found out the horrible truth and Roy wondered if he ever would again.

"Ed it's okay," he said as reassuringly as he could. "It happens sometimes. Just move on and accept it."

"You don't understand," Ed mumbled. "If I'm blind I'll never be able to get Al his original body back. My promise to him would-" Ed stopped as he struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out of his sightless eyes.

Roy motioned for Hughes to leave the room. He wanted to be alone with Ed for a minute without anyone with them. Once Hughes was gone he turned to Ed and pulled the thin blanket up to the boy's shoulders. Maybe if Ed was more comfortable he'd feel better. He then made it a task to make Ed comfortable. He adjusted his pillow and pulled the blanket around him. Once Ed was settled into the bed Roy pushed away the golden hair that had fallen in front of his face. Roy noticed hat he was biting his lip again and gently shook his shoulder.

"Ed, you have to stop biting your lip," Roy said as gently as he could. "Do you want the stitches to come out? Again." When Roy brought Ed to the hospital there was a steadily bleeding hole through his lower lip that had to get stitched up because the bleeding wouldn't stop. Ed had already unconsciously reopened the wound once before. The blond stopped biting and lay there, motionless against the white sheets.

"Do you need anything?" Roy asked.

Ed nodded his head. "I-I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to leave."

Roy nodded sympathetically but then remembered that he couldn't see. "I'll see if can bring you back to my place. But for now just get some rest. I'll be back soon." He stood up to leave but Ed call him back.

"Please stay until I'm asleep?" He asked in a small voice.

"Of course," Roy said softly. He took a seat on the chair and waited until Ed was sleeping. Once he was sure the blond was out cold he slowly left the room as quietly as he could.

* * *

Ed awoke with a start and got an even bigger surprise when he remembered that he was blind. He shut his eyes and then jumped when he heard a sudden voice.

"Edward, are you awake?"

He didn't recognize the voice, he didn't know who it belonged to. He shook his head. "W-who are you?"

"I'm Gracia, remember me?" The voice said again.

Now he remembered. Hughes' wife Gracia. But what was she doing in his hospital room? "How's you get here?"

"You're at my place now. You arrived here yesterday evening," Gracia informed. "You were out cold at the time so it makes sense that you don't remember."

"Where's Colonel?"

There was a long uncomfortable pause that stretched out for a long period of time. Then finally, "He had to work late tonight. He'll be back soon. He left you here so we could watch you."

Ed nodded, and as he did pain shot through his neck and he swore silently beneath his breath. He wished that Roy would come back soon, he felt scared as he thought about how he couldn't see. Everything was dark with no color or shape. Just an endless darkness that stretched on forever without ever reaching the light. He kept his eyes closed, trying to trick himself to thinking that everything was dark because his eyes were closed. He still knew the truth. Weariness settled over him suddenly, willing him to sleep. He wanted to stay awake but that didn't seem possible as his mind was already foggy.

* * *

Gracia watched Ed as he, once again, fell asleep. There were small footsteps in the room and when she looked over she saw Elicia peeking over the bed to get a better view of Ed.

"Mama, can I play with Ed now?" She asked in an adorable voice.

Gracia shook her head. "No, Ed's sleeping right now."

"Can you wake him up?" Elicia asked, reaching out one small hand to shake Ed.

Gracia pushed her daughters hand away. "Elicia, he needs his sleep. He's hurt and can't play."

Elicia looked closely at Ed. "He's hurt? How?"

Gracia sighed. "Why don't you go play with Cheese for a little bit?"

Elicia's eyes lit up and sparkles danced in them. "When Ed wakes up I want to play with him too. Okay?" Without getting a response Elicia ran from the room to look for her hamster Cheese. With a sigh, Gracia turned and looked sadly at Ed.

"Poor kid," she said softly.

"Hey Gracia. You tell him yet?" Hughes asked quietly from the door to the room Ed was in.

Gracia shook her head and looked at Ed. In a soft voice she said, "No, I didn't have the heart to tell him."

* * *

" _Give him back!" Ed shouted, chasing nothing in particular. He ran through the empty darkness, his hand reached out to grab hold of the one thing he was searching for. Al. "Give him back! He's my little brother! You took him from me! Give me my little brother back!"_

"Why your little brother? There are so many other lives you've ruined," _The Truth sneered as it appeared in front of him._ "Don't you remember them?"

 _Then they appeared. The Nina Chimera, his mother's monstrous form, Al's old body, everything that's caused him to suffer in his life. He stared in shock as each of them spoke in turn._

" _Wanna Play?"_

" _Why couldn't you bring me back? You promised me I'll live again."_

" _Brother, I don't want to be like this anymore. I want to be human again."_

 _Ed collapsed to his knees and hid his head. It was too much to take in all at once, too much pain. Tears formed in his eyes as he screamed. "I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he whimpered. "Please don't blame me. I'll bring you back to normal Al. I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry Nina. I'm sorry."_

* * *

"Ed, Ed. Edward!"

Ed's eyes snapped open but he closed them quickly as he remembered that he couldn't see. He rolled over but a sharp pain held him still. He rolled onto his broken flesh arm and he shut his eyes tighter.

"Edward, can you hear me? Ed."

Ed suddenly realized that he was crying. He tried to hide his face but he didn't know where to hide it. He instead just lied there, tears rolling down his pale face. There was a hand on his shoulder and he jumped, his heart racing in his chest.

"Ed, It's me, Gracia. It's okay, relax," The voice whispered to him.

He calmed down slightly and was still frozen in place. He heard footsteps in the room, followed by quick, anxious whispering. He was rolled onto his back and the someone wiped the tears off his face.

"Where's Roy?" He asked, his voice shaking with each word he choked out.

"He's still at work," Gracia informed him.

Ed shook his head. "No, you lying. Tell me truth." It was hard to talk as each word ripped his throat like daggers.

There was a long silence before Hughes spoke up, "I don't know how you're going to take this, but." He let out a soft sigh. "Roy was called off to war. Now he's MIA."

It felt like his heart stopped. Roy was called out to war, why? He shook his head. They must be lying, yes, it's all a joke, they're lying, that's all. But a part of him told him that they were telling the truth and that Roy was missing at war. He didn't want to believe him but he knew that deep down the Colonel was lost, possibly dead, and Ed might never see him again.

Tears began to run down his face as he pictured the Flame Alchemist lying dead on the ground in the midst of a blood-soaked battle ground. He squeezed his eyes shut as far as they would and shook his head.

"No," he whimpered. "He-he can't. He can't be gone. I-I need him. He can't leave me. No. Bring him back. P-please..."

* * *

 **A/N...Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for all of your reviews last chapter, it really meant a lot and helped me post this chapter so soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 7**_

 _Dear Roy,_

 _I told Ed about what happened, said you're MIA. I know that you're missing but if you ever get this letter I want you to know that Ed is heart broken. He hasn't eaten or spoke since he found out. I'm getting really worried about him. I hope the war will be over before Ed starves to death. Anyways, I hope that you receive this letter and come back in one piece, Ed really misses you._

 _-Hughes_

Roy clutched the worn paper in one hand and in the other he held a pen. He was writing a letter to Ed, telling him that he was safe. He wasn't actually MIA, the damn military officer in charge of keeping track of the soldiers miscounted and told everyone that he was either dead or MIA. He was going to have a little chat with him later, maybe leave a few scars for telling everyone that he was missing.

He sighed and folded up his carefully written letter to Ed. He hoped that he would get it soon, hopefully he would start eating again. It's been three days since he was called to the war with Aerugo and it looked like he might leave earlier than he expected. He rose up from the small cement block he was using as a seat and stretched. All around him it seemed peaceful, nothing like the Ishbalan Civil war where everywhere you turned you could see dead bodies strewn over the blood-soaked ground.

He glanced at the watch on his arm and sighed. Was it that time already? He pulled on his ignition gloved and headed out to the battle field. "I'll come back alive, Ed. I promise you that."

* * *

"Hey Ed, Roy sent you a letter," Hughes announced as he walked into the room.

Ed didn't answer, he didn't even give any sign that he heard. He was lying still in the bed with the blanket pulled over his head. His breathing was ragged but Hughes knew that was just a sign that he was awake. When he was sleeping his breathing was even but it was different when he was awake, it sounded like he was stressed.

Hughes sat down at the end of the bed and unfolded the piece of paper and began to read it out loud to Ed.

" _'Dear Ed,'"_ Hughes began. _"'I'm sorry that I had to leave so suddenly. But I assure you that I'm okay, I'm not MIA, some guy just made a mistake. Hughes told me that you're not eating and that you're rather upset. Please eat again, I promise that I'll be back as soon as this damn war is over. Please cheer up, I'm worried about you. From Roy'"_

Hughes put down the letter and looked at Ed. "So, Ed. Now that you know Roy's safe-"

"I-I want Al," Ed mumbled, his voice barley audible. "H-he's in Resembool. I need him."

Hughes nodded sympathetically. "I'll call him and tell him to come back. Will that make you feel better."

Ed never answered but Hughes took that as a 'yes'. With one last glance, he walked out of the room. As he was walking down the hall he thought he heard the faint sound of crying. He felt his heart sink and he went to find a phone. Ed needed someone to talk to and Al was the best person he could think of.

Hughes picked up the phone and dialed the number that Roy left him. It rang a few times and was finally picked up by none other than Alphonse Elric.

" _Hello, this is Al."_

"Hey Al. This is Hughes," Hughes greeted. "Can you come back to Central? Ed seems a bit down."

" _I'm on my way. Where in Central?"_

"My place. Do you know where that it?"

" _Yes. I'm coming right now."_ Al then hung up the phone.

Hughes sighed. He hoped that Al got there soon.

* * *

"Thank you for coming so soon ," Hughes greeted at the front door.

Al nodded. Once he got the call he ran to catch the first train to Central. It took him about an hour but he finally arrived. Hughes led him to Ed's room and then left. Al walked over to the bed where the lumpy blanket told him that Ed was there. He stopped beside the bed and carefully pulled back the covers. He had to suppress a gasp when he saw Ed. His forehead was wrapped in a bandage and so was most of his flesh. His shirt was off to reveal that his entire midsection was wrapped in a tight layer of bandages. His automail arm was gone and his flesh arm was in a cast.

Al gently placed his large hand on Ed's trembling shoulder and Ed looked up. His eyes remained closed as he breathed out a small word, "A-Al?"

"Brother, what happened?" Al asked in disbelief.

When he said that he never expected his brother, who was the strongest person he knew, to burst into tears. Al didn't know what to do so he knelt down beside his brother and shook him gently.

"Ed, are you okay?" He asked.

"A-Al, it-" his voice broke and he reluctantly opened his blank golden eyes. "I'm sorry Al. I can't see anything."

"What do you mean, Ed?" Al asked, not believing his brother one bit.

"They blinded me Al. I'm sorry." A shudder past through his shaking body and Al adjusted Ed so he was sitting up. Tears continued to run out of his sightless eyes and onto his bare chest. Al took a seat at the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to sin beneath his weight and sending Ed toppling over. His older brother landed on him and stayed there, motionless.

Al placed his hand reassuring on Ed's shoulder and looked sadly down at him. Something horrible must have happened for him to act like this, he never did. Eventually Ed's sobs died down and Al gently placed the now sleeping boy into the bed. He sighed. What was he going to do?

There was a knock at the door and when Al turned he saw Hughes standing there. "Is he any better?"

Al shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with him, he's never acted like this before."

Hughes nodded sympathetically. "I think he's worried about Roy. You see, he was called out to war and Ed has, well, gotten pretty close to him over the past few days. I think he's worried that Roy will die. We received a letter yesterday saying that he was MIA, although it turned out to be a simple mistake. I think Ed's pretty shaken up because of it." Hughes looked in Ed's direction and then turned to look at Al. "I hope Roy comes back soon. I don't know how much longer Ed will last if he continues to refuse food."

"He won't eat?" Al sighed. "Yup, that's just like Ed." He stared at Ed for a minute before turning his attention to Hughes. "I'll try to get him to eat when he wakes up."

Hughes nodded. "Thanks Alphonse. I knew I could count on you."

Alphonse tuned back to look at Ed. _Please don't let this effect you,_ he thought. _You can't get depressed over something so small._

* * *

It was late that night when it all happened. Someone casually walked into the room and looked around. Al was awake at the time so he knew that it wasn't Hughes or Gracia. The person bent down and touched the floor. There were Transmutation sparks and suddenly Al was bound to the ground with wood wrapped tightly around him. He was about to speak but the person beat him to it.

"Make any sound." He was definitely a man. He pulled out a blade and pushed it against Ed's neck. "And I'll spill out his guts."

No matter how much Al wanted to scream out for help he knew that the man wasn't kidding. He watched helplessly as the man lifted Ed up and walked across the room to the window with the sleeping boy under one arm. He looked at Al and in the split second their gazes met Al was able to tell that the man had orange hair. With the blade still against Ed's neck, the man jumped out of the window and took off down the street. The armor struggled against the binds and was finally able to sketch a Transmutation Circle to free himself. He immediately ran to the window and saw no sight of Ed or the man.

He just about jumped out the window but someone pulled him back into the room. He turned and saw a rather tired looking Hughes standing there. "Al, what's with all the commotion?"

"Someone took Ed," He gasped out. "They ran down the street."

It took the groggy Hughes a minute to process what Al told him but when he finally did his eyes widened and he ran from the room. Al followed him and found him on the phone absorbed in a conversation, a rather serious looking conversation.

"I don't care if it's the middle of the night," he growled. "Someone just kidnapped Ed. I need you to send Colonel Roy Mustang back from the battle field. It an emergency...I don't care if he's busy. He needs to come back now!...Hurry up. I'm not waiting any longer!" He slammed the phone back onto the receiver and let out an irritated huff of breath.

"Who was that?" Al asked, curiosity taking over his voice.

Hughes sighed. "The Fuhrer."

"What! You were talking like that to the Fuhrer?" Al shouted in disbelief. Even Ed wasn't that rude to the Fuhrer of Amestris, and he was rude to everyone he met.

"Yeah,Well, Roy will burn me to death if Ed's not found. So I don't really think my job is more important that my life." He did have a point. Al didn't think the Colonel would hesitate to burn someone, even if he wasn't going to kill them.

"So, what did the Fuhrer say?" Al asked.

"He said that he's going to bring Roy back here because of what happened to Ed" Hughes explained. "He also said that he's going to make it clear that he's not running away from the battle field, he's only leaving to save his subordinates life."

"That's nice of him," Al said, surprised that the Fuhrer would actually say something like that.

Hughes scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I _did_ have to bribe him with half of my paycheck for the next six months."

Al sighed. "You offered several _hundred_ dollars just to bring Roy back from war without him gaining a bad reputation. How dumb can you get?"

Hughes didn't appear to have heard because he headed for the door and threw on his coat. "Lets go Alphonse." He jotted something on the door with a pencil and left the house. Al followed him and shut the door with a soft crack before he followed Hughes down the hall, still with no idea he was going.

* * *

Ed stirred awake suddenly and gasped. He twisted around but, once again, felt something wrapped tightly around him. He gritted his teeth, knowing exactly what was going on. He began to hear the sound of steel scraping against steel and then a malicious laugh followed by a cruel voice.

"Looks like you're finally awake," the voice snarled from close to his head. There was a stabbing pain in his flesh shoulder and the blond Alchemist gritted his teeth in pain. "Now it looks like the fun can finally begin."

* * *

 **A/N...I NEED HELP! As you've probably figured out I'm going to be torturing Ed again and I have no idea what to do to him! Please Review or send me a PM if you have any ideas, any ideas at all, of how I can torture Ed. I have a few vague ideas but I'm in desperate need of more. Please help me out. I'm begging you!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 8**_

"Looks like you're finally awake," the voice snarled from close to his head. There was a stabbing pain in his flesh shoulder and the blond Alchemist gritted his teeth in pain. "Now it looks like the fun can finally begin."

Ed shut his eyes and sat there, his body rigid from both fear and pain. The pain increased before the knife in his shoulder was yanked out violently. He heard maniacal laughter and then felt a sudden pain in his flesh shoulder. It felt like his flesh was being ripped open painfully, and that was probably what was happening. He screamed out in pain and felt the pained tears threatening to spill. He silently call for help although he made no sound other than his strangled screaming. He felt the warm blood that began to slowly seep through his torn clothes. He gave up and allowed the tears to spill down his blood stained face. He didn't care if he was acting weak, he certainly didn't feel strong. It was like his entire world was being stolen from him slowly, taking away all of the hope that he's lived with for as long as he could remember. The undying fire in his eyes was extinguished long ago, put out by the chemicals that were poured into them, the chemicals that took his sight without a second thought.

He hung his head and let the pain come. He couldn't move and he knew that there was no way he would be able to free himself for the grasp of the enemy. He began to wish that he would just die, for the pain to go away. But if he did, everything he's worked for would have been for nothing. Al would never be human again and would be left alone in the cruel world. Sure, many people would be sad if he died, but it was like his teacher said. One is all, all is one. The thing that he learned on that island so many years ago. Winry, granny, Al, and Roy might be sad but how many other people would be effected? The world will still move on as if nothing happened, wiping away his existence like a simple pest. He knew that there was somewhere in the world where someone is mourning over the death of a loved one, while somewhere else they could be celebrating their birthday without knowing anything. That's the way the world was, once you were gone there was nothing you could do about it. You would never find out if someone else died and you'll just live your life with what you know. The world was a cruel and mysterious place with many answers that lay hidden in the mass of pain and happiness.

The slicing and tearing pain stopped and he looked up, forgetting that he couldn't see. At that moment he didn't care if he could see, he didn't want to see that damn face yet he still glared at him with eyes that hid all of his pain. He was seething with anger and then heard a laugh, a long laugh that made him want to punch the face he knew too well.

"Cool down kid." There was a long pause and the laughter, although more malicious, returned for a short minute before he continued to speak, "Unless you need some help with that?"

Ed gritted his teeth and felt a sharp stabbing pain in his stomach wound. He felt the cold steel of a blade puncture his freshly sealed wound and he bit down hard on his lip, only causing that to reopen his wound on his lip. Again.

"Does it hurt?" The voice mocked. The man let out a long, demonic laugh. The distinct stench of wine told Ed that his face was close to his, and when he talked his voice sounded closer. "You seem to have a high tolerance to pain, or is that gone now?"

"Sh-shut up," Ed growled through clenched teeth. No matter how hard Ed tried to sound threatening his voice came out small and scratchy. He once again wished that all of this pain would just go away. But he had to endure it. He had to stay strong for Al, Roy, everyone he cared about and everyone who cared about him. There was no way that he was going to just let his life end when there was still so much he had to do. He was going to pull through and stand strong. "I don't care what you do to me. I'm not going to let you take me so easily."

"Are you _sure_ you don't care what I do to you?" He mocked, his wine breath billowing into Ed's face. Ed stayed silent and never answered. It was a few short moments before he heard a faint malevolent laugh. "So you're not going to answer. Then I guess I'll take your silence as a 'yes'. So, what should I do first. Hmm. Oh, I know. How about this."

The straps that bound him to the chair vanished and he felt himself being lifted up by the front of his shirt. The grip tightened and he was thrown across the room like a doll, where he hit the wall and collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap. He gritted his teeth as his flesh arm twisted and cracked horribly with the impact. The warm sticky feeling that coated his skin wasn't a good sign either.

A strong blow connected with his gut and he broke out into a violent coughing fit. He was, once again, lifted off the ground, this time by his braid, and head a menacing laugh inches from his face.

"You still don't care what I do to you?" The man snarled.

Ed's only reply was a couple strangled coughs that made his chest feel like it was being stabbed by a million daggers. The man began to walk somewhere, still carrying Ed by his braid. Ed began to panic. He wished that he was able to see and that he knew where he was going. He felt scared and couldn't stop the tears that slowly fell down his pale face. He bit his lip and wished that everything would be over.

"So now you're crying," the man sneered. "I'm guessing that you don't want to have any more fun? Too bad, we're only beginning." He tossed the blond across the room and just as before he hit the wall. He heard the sound of clanking metal and the damn man poured a bucket of freezing water on him. Well, it could have been worse, but the room was already freezing and the water wasn't the greatest help.

"How's that. Are you cooled down now?" The voice sneered.

"Sh-shut up," Ed growled weakly through chattering teeth. When the man poured the water on him the glacier temperature liquid sucked all of the warmth out of his body within the first few seconds. He was lying on the ground, shivering, and surrounded by the pool of water.

The footsteps echoing throughout the room informed Ed that the man was coming closer, most likely to do something more to him. Then he heard a sound that made him feel a burst of panic and fear. An emotion that made him feel like a small child. He heard a snap and then the cold room exploded with searing heat. Scorching pain traveled all along his body, leaving burning holes in his clothes, burning his flesh. He screamed, his voice cracky and weak, but he screamed. He continued to hear snapping and the only thing he could think about was Roy Mustang. The man he trusted was trying to kill him. The tears that ran down his face vanished immediately in a small flash of steam. He was falling, everything fading, growing darker and darker. The malevolent laugh that cut through the relentless pain and crackling was becoming fainter, getting harder and harder to hear, Every word that the man snarled was nothing, only a mix of tones and slurs. He was going farther and farther away, his mind set on one thing and one thing only, one thought that gave him any bit of hope. _Maybe I won't have to feel any more pain after this?_

* * *

 _Why do I hear voices? They sound close._ Ed tried to listed but heard only a mass of footsteps and frantic shouts that were incoherent to the ears of the boy that lay motionless on the ground. He tried to move, call for help, do anything, but he wasn't able to form words or move. The footsteps, as well as the shouts were getting closer, they were almost there. They were coming closer. He was almost able to make out one of the voices now, a voice that made him both scared yet safe.

"Ed...rd!" Was all that was able to make out as he was pull off of the frozen ground. He felt hands holding him tightly, pulling him close. He began to shake violently despite almost having been burnt to death earlier. "Edward."

He was able to make out the voice now. It belonged to Roy Mustang. He remembered the horrible burning and the snapping and tried to voice his fear but all that came out was a pathetic whimper. He couldn't do anything. He knew for sure that his left arm was broken and that his automail arm was gone. Still, he opened his eyes and even though he couldn't see he knew for a fact that Roy was smiling, his face fearful yet smiling knowing that Ed had hopes of survival.

"I can't believe that I found you," Roy whispered, his voice just loud enough for Ed to hear. Ed tried to smile but it ended with him wincing and squeezing his eyes shut. He was then being moved, carried somewhere, he didn't know where but he was going somewhere. He was safe in Roy's arms and he knew that he was going to survive. Knowing that fact he allowed himself to relax and trust Roy. Who cares if he tried to kill him. He was here now, saving him for that horrid place. He felt himself shaking and his head fell against Roy's shoulder. He allowed sleep to engulf him, not caring what was going to happen next.

* * *

"Where is he?" Roy demanded as he stared at the doctor with his cold eyes.

I assure you that he's safe," the doctor insisted.

Three hours. He's been pacing that room for three hours waiting for any information on Ed yet the only thing he's heard as that he's fine. "Where is he then? I want to see him."

"I'm sorry sir," the doctor said. "We're treating him right now, visitors aren't allowed."

"Are you forgetting who I am?" Roy questioned. "I'm Colonel Roy Mustang from the Amestrian military. I order you to let me see Edward Elric!"

"I'm really sorry sir," the doctor apologized. "But I can't let you see him."

Roy clenched his fists and continued pacing. After what felt like hours the doctor reappeared and allowed Roy to see Ed. The Colonel immediately followed the doctor down the white halls towards Ed's room. When he got there he immediately ran over to Ed's bed and stared down at the broken child that lay motionless in the white bed. His face was pale, too pale to be normal. There were several blankets pulled around him and his left arm was resting on top of them all, his left arm covered in a thick white bandage. Roy remembered finding Ed, covered in blood, his arm twisted at a horrible angle with his bone jutting through the skin. His body covered in burns and crisscrossed with gashed. He almost bled to death and most were surprised that he was still alive.

"C-Colonel?" Came a weak, raspy voice. The voice that belonged to the small child that was lying in the bed. "T-that y-you?"

"Yes, Ed. It's me," Roy said gently.

"I-it h-hurts," he whimpered softly.

"I know," Roy whispered, pushing Ed's bangs out of his face. "I know."

Ed's eyes opened as he stared sadly at Roy. "I-I w-wish that I c-could s-see you."

Roy sighed. Poor kid, he in so much pain and he can't even see. Roy placed his hand on the top of Ed's head to let him know that he was still there. "Maybe one day you'll be able to see again." He didn't want to get the boy's hopes up but he might know of a way that he could get Ed's eyesight back.

"T-thank you," Ed whispered. His eyes were closing and Roy ran his hand through Ed's messy hair.

"Get some sleep." he said softly. "You look like you need it."

Ed's head gave a slight nod in agreement and within minutes his shallow breathing and relaxed expression told Roy that he was sleeping. He didn't leave. He stayed beside Ed, staring down at the small boy with a hurt filled expression. He didn't try hard enough when it came to saving Ed and now it was all his fault that Ed was lying there. He felt a tear threatening to spill but he held it back. There was no need for him to cry. Ed's the one who's been through so much pain and he's the only one who should be crying.

"I won't let anything happen to you again, Ed," Roy whispered, too quiet for anyone but him to hear. "I promise you that Ed. And I won't break my promise again."

* * *

 **A/N...Yay! I was finally able to write this chapter (I've been suffering writers block and writing seemed close to impossible). I want to thank all of you who reviewed and gave me ideas on how to torture Ed. I tried my hardest to use at least one of your ideas and I think I was able to do it.**


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 9**_

"How do you feel?" Roy asked Ed one evening as the two of them sat in the quiet hospital room.

"Don't know?" The blond mumbled. He pushed closer to Roy who sat at the edge of the bed. Ed's head was using his shoulder as a pillow as sleep threatened to drag him into it's dark depths.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Roy suggested, noticing that Ed was pretty much snoring. Ed only shook his head and tried to push himself closer to Roy but was having difficulties considering the fact that he was down two arms. Roy eventually pulled the boy away from him and placed him into a more comfortable position in the bed. He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and smiled when he saw how Ed was already fast asleep.

He let out a silent sigh as he gently ran his fingers through the tangled blond hair. Ed looked different without his braid in his hair, somewhat girl-like. Roy couldn't remember ever seeing Ed's hair flowing freely down his back. The last time he was at the hospital he kept his hair in a loose braid but this time Roy insisted that he didn't because he didn't want the tightness of the ponytail or braid to bother him. Ed had reluctantly agreed to do so after much persuasion.

"Please get better soon," Roy whispered, quiet enough so he didn't wake the sleeping boy. "I can't stand seeing you like this."

There was a small knock on the door and after a pause it opened and Alphonse walked in. He headed over to Ed and stared down at his older brother. If he had facial expressions he would have probably been in a state of terror and panic, his face overridden with fear for his older brother. The vast amount of emotions in his shaky voice was enough proof for Roy to know.

"Is he going to be alright?" He asked, each syllable rising in pitch until his voice was several octaves higher than usual.

"He'll be fine," Roy reassured the armor. "The doctor said that he should be fine to go in about a week."

Al released a relieved sigh at the news. He knelt beside the bed and did what Roy had been doing and took to staring intently at the small boy who's chest rose and fell with each relaxed and even breath he took. He looked so peaceful, his features relaxed, his body limp and surrounded by blankets.

Roy laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his lap. He placed his chin on the bridge created by his interwoven fingers and fixed Ed with his dark eyes. Pl _ease get better, please_ , He thought, unable to pry his gaze from the sleeping boy. _I know you can do it. I know you're strong._

* * *

"I'm not eating any more of that damn food," Ed snapped.

Roy released the irritated sigh he's been holding back and set the plate down on the small table beside the bed. "Why do you have to be so childish?"

Ed shot a glare at the older man before pouting. "You haven't tasted that bitter slop."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Yes I have and it's not as bad as you think."

"It already made me throw up yesterday," Ed replied. Roy remembered the morning previous when Ed was eating his breakfast and was suddenly trying not to to throw up the contents of his stomach.

"There was medicine in your food yesterday," Roy informed. "But now there's not, so will you just eat the damn food and call it a day?"

Ed's mouth fell open and a look of complete shock covered his face. "M-medicine? You put _medicine_ in my food?"

Roy sighed. Now there was no way Ed was going to eat his food today. "There's nothing in it today so just eat it."

"But-"

"Stop being so stubborn and just eat the food!" Roy shouted, unable to hold in his patients any longer. "It's only chicken, Al told me that you liked chicken."

"But this is hospital chicken. There's a big difference," Ed protested.

"It tastes the same as any piece of chicken."

"But it was cooked in a hospital kitchen."

"Yeah, and every kitchen is the same as any hospital kitchen."

"But this kitchen smells like sick people."

"And other kitchens smell like mold and rotten eggs. Hell, I don't even think the military _cleans_ their kitchen."

"But-"

"No buts."

The argument continued for several minutes and it wasn't until there was a burning tree outside that Ed decided to eat his food. It was a long time before Ed finished choking down the plate of chicken due to the fact that he had to working hands and he had to eat either like a dog or a monkey, and he chose to eat with his feet which was quite funny for Roy to watch.

Roy placed the empty plate back onto the table and watched as Ed desperately tried to wipe the after taste of his breakfast onto his blanket. Roy sighed. "You're going to wipe away your tongue if you keep doing that."

"Shut up," Ed mumbled through the fabric of the blanket that he had shoved into his mouth. He spat it out and frowned. "You damn sheet, you betrayed me," he yelled dramatically.

Roy pulled the blanket away from Ed before he decided to have a wrestling match with it and placed it on the floor behind the chair he was sitting on. A part of him wondered why Ed was still in the hospital. It's been two weeks and he seemed perfectly fine, his wounds were healing nicely, his attitude was back and worse than usual. But he was still stuck in that place.

"I'm bored," Ed complained. "I hate it here. I can't even read, and can you open a damn window, it's hot in here?"

"Sorry, but I'm not opening the window," Roy replied, noticing that when he answered Ed pouted and proceeded to irritate Roy by whistling a straight sound. The thing he's been doing for the past three days.

Roy plugged his ears but when that didn't work he shoved a pillow over Ed's face, earning muffled shouts from blond. He waited before pulling the pillow off and found an irritated Ed lying there.

"What did you do that for?" He demanded. "You could have killed me."

"It wasn't on long enough to do that."

"I'm bored," Ed continued as if the pillow event before hadn't happened. "How much longer do I have to stay here, this place is killing me."

Ed's constant complaining was really getting on Roy's, and everyone who happened to be around him for more than thirty seconds, nerves. Roy stood up, deciding to find out when Ed would be able to go home before he killed the boy.

* * *

Ed heard Roy leave before staring back up at a solid wall of darkness. How long has he been there, he's lost count. Well, he was passed out for the first several days so his calendar was a bit messed up. He let out a loud dramatic groan and sat up.

 _Where did Roy go anyway? He had the nerves to leave me.? Oh, once he get's back I'm gonna..._ Ed sighed and flopped back down onto the uncomfortable bed and tried to think about something more entertaining. _I wonder what chocolate milk tastes like, I like chocolate but since milks evil it must be evil too. Do sheep like milk? I wonder If cows like milk?...Why the hell am I thinking about that evil white liquid? Okay, something else...Why do cats like milk? I give up..._

Ed turned to the empty doorway and waited as patiently as person with no patients could. Finally, after what felt like years of waiting, he heard Roy walk into the room.

"Ed, good news. You're leaving today."

Ed nearly jumped out of the bed in excitement but decided against it, not wanting to fall flat on his face. He instead got slowly out of bed. "Do you know where my clothes are. I hate this hospital stuff.

Roy pushed the soft bundle of clothes into Ed's hands and left the room. It took longer than expected to change since he couldn't see but he finally managed to do so after much struggling. He heard a knock on the door followed by Roy's voice.

"Edward, are you done?'

"Yeah." Ed paused and added more quietly, "But I can't seem to find the door." He looked around and sighed. It felt like he was stuck in a never ending tunnel of darkness. Every direction looked the same, each color he saw was just a copy of the one he previous saw. He hated being like this, trapped in darkness, lost in the depths of a forest without any wisp of light to guide himself through the twisting blackness. He knew that there was a world out there somewhere past the black wave, but he couldn't grasp it.

He heard the door open and then a strong hand on his shoulder. Ed jumped, having not expected someone grabbing him. He realized that it was only Roy and he released a small sigh. "Come one, let's go."

Roy began to walk and Ed stayed by his side, never straying from his side for more than a second. It felt strange being unable to see. He always kept his eyes closed, partially because he was trying to trick himself into thinking that he wasn't blind. But every time he opened his eyes he was surprised to find himself unable to see. Everything was dark.

"Ed, we're outside now," Roy said, gently shaking Ed's stiff shoulder.

Ed nodded, feeling the wind that gently blew past him. The sun felt warm on his face and he began to wish that he could see that as well. Roy led him to the car and he sat down, placing his head on the cool glass of the window.

 _Why does this have to happen to me?_ Ed thought sadly. _I thought I've already had to suffer enough. Don't tell me that I deserve any more. Why do I have to be blind, it's not fair?_

He shook his head roughly to rid himself of the stray thought that broke through his flimsy defenses. He pushed his head back up against the window and wished that he could look outside into the world. He hated it. He hated being stuck in the pitifully small dark room he's been given. It was windowless and door less, there was no way to escape the walls that were closing in on him. The room was too sturdily built, not a single fault in the architecture that he could use to his advantage. It was just a black box that took whatever shape it pleased.

"Ed, we're here." Roy shook his shoulder to get his attention. Ed nodded and carefully made his way out of the car. As he walked back to the house Roy kept his hand planted firmly on his shoulder as if to make sure he didn't walk into anything. Ed was glad for that because he knew that Roy was there and he wasn't going to abandon him.

He heard the door open and then Roy led him through his house. Ed was worried that he would tip over something but felt himself relax when Roy pushed him onto the couch.

"Stay there for a minute," he told him. "I don't want you to hurt yourself if you trip over anything. I have to go make a call."

Ed nodded and heard Roy walk out of the room. He leaned back against the cushions and stared blankly ahead. He tried not to think about it, but he felt scared. Whenever he was alone he felt like that. Alone and lost. He tried to steady his breathing and shifted his weight on the couch. He kept telling himself that Roy was coming back like he always did but his fear was still weighing him down. He heard footsteps and then he heard Roy sitting down in the chair across from him.

"Sorry I took so long," Roy said quickly.

Ed was silent for a minute. "Roy," he said, his voice small. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Roy replied simply.

Ed took in a shaky breath. "W-why did you have to go to war?"

There was a long stretch of silence before Roy replied, "I work for the military. If I have to go to war I have to go."

"But you could have died," Ed whimpered, unable to keep his voice from trembling. "You might not even be here right now."

"But I'm still alive," Roy reminded him.

"But you might have died," Ed whispered quietly. "I-I was scared. I thought that you left me."

He felt Roy sit on the couch and then a hand on his shoulder. "But I'm here now. You don't have to worry about the past."

Ed hung his head and then dived at Roy, burying his face in his shirt. Roy pulled him close and Ed held on weakly with his single broken arm. Sobs shook his body and he held on tighter. Roy held him gently, careful of the various wounds that covered his body.

"P-please d-don't g-go next t-time," he begged softly, his head still buried in the older mans shirt.

"I wont," Roy said gently, running his hand through Ed's ruffled hair "I promise that I won't leave you again."

"T-thank you," Ed whispered, his sobs growing fainter after hearing the promise.

Roy sighed and shifted Ed so that his metal leg wasn't stabbing him in the side. Ed's head fell against Roy's shoulder as the Colonel tried to wipe away the wet tears on his face. A small smile appeared on Ed's face, shielded by the golden hair that had fallen in front of it.

He heard more footsteps but ignored them. He didn't care if other people saw him like this. He had everything he needed at the moment. He was out of the hospital, he was safe, and he was with his father.

* * *

 **A/N...I finished this chapter earlier today and then remembered that Ed was blind (I had to go and change more than half the chapter to make it so he acted blind). Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I really** **appreciated it.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 10**_

Roy carefully adjusted Ed so he was lying on the couch with his head on a pillow before standing up. He sighed. He had no idea that him going to war would effect Ed that much. Ed never broke down in tears. Never. He only did today because he was worried that Roy would have died on the battle field. He pulled the small blanket over Ed's frail body and turned to find Hawkeye standing in the hallway.

"How is he?" She asked quietly.

Roy glanced down at the sleeping boy on the couch and sighed. "He's sleeping now."

Hawkeye walked overs she had a clear view of Ed and looked up at Roy, her eyes connecting with his. "He's become really close to you, hasn't he?"

"You could say that. Never really thought much about it, though." Roy shrugged and sat down in the chair across from the couch. In his sleep, Ed rolled over and mumbled a few incoherent words under his breath before settling down again.

"Have you gotten a room ready for him yet?" Hawkeye asked.

"Well, the thing is, the only spare room I have is inhabitable by man. I don't think it's safe in their. Toxic air, avalanches, that kind of stuff. Ed's been sleeping on my couch so I haven't really thought about it."

Hawkeye sighed. "Don't you think an actual bed would be better?"

Roy shrugged. "I've slept on couches plenty of times before. It's not that bad. If he wants to sleep in a bed he can use mine. I don't mind sleeping on the couch or floor."

Hawkeye sighed and looked down at Ed. Roy got out of his chair and knelt beside the sleeping boy. He pushed the stray strands of hair out of his face and sighed. A part of him wondered if Ed was ever going to go back to his normal self. He's been through so much in the past little while that Roy wouldn't be surprised if Ed acted like this for the rest of his life.

* * *

The room was cold. Ed shivered and tried to push further beneath the blanket. He hated the cold and why did it have to attack him now. What's worse is that he has no damn arms. One was gone and the other was broken. If only he could use alchemy. He knew some medical Alchemy but he was unable to clap with one broken hand. He sighed and buried his face beneath the pillow.

"Are you awake?" A voice asked from somewhere off to the side of the room.

Ed nodded and felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped but settled down quickly, realizing that it was only Roy.

"Colonel, where am I?" Ed asked, wishing more than ever that he could see.

"You're in my room," he replied simply without removing his hand from Ed's shoulder. "You fell asleep on my couch and I thought that you would want a more comfortable place to sleep."

Ed smiled. "Thanks, the bed's comfy."

Roy ran his hand through Ed's hair but the blond didn't care, in fact, he rather enjoyed it and found it comforting. He sat up awkwardly and rose out of bed. He felt Roy's hand on his shoulder tighten and he hoped that he wouldn't remove it.

"Are you hungry" He asked.

Ed shook his head. "Can you call Al for me? I need to ask him something."

"Of course," Roy said. "Let's go downstairs."

Ed nodded and allowed Roy to lead him downstairs. The trip down the stairs was nerve racking but they finally made it down without breaking any bones. Ed sat on a chair while Roy made the call. In a few minutes Roy walked back into the room and sat beside Ed.

"I called Al like you asked," he told him. "He said he's coming over and will be here in about ten minutes. Hawkeye's coming as well."

Ed's response was a nod of his head. He didn't care if Hawkeye came. She was nicer than the other men on Roy's team and she didn't reek of cigarette smoke like Havoc did. Roy wrapped his arm around him and drew Ed closer to him. Ed was startled for a brief moment before relaxing and allowing himself to lean against Roy. He was warm and Ed pushed himself closer to the warmth. He let his head rest against Roy's shoulder and he felt exhaustion settle over him. Even though he just woke up from sleeping for many hours he still felt tired. Perhaps his body was making him tired. He wanted to stay there in that spot, lying on the couch with Roy forever. The knock on the door ruined everything when Roy stood up.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to answer the door," Roy said, letting Ed know where he was going so it wasn't like he was just disappearing. Ed heard the door open and Al's familiar metallic voice rang out through the house.

"Brother, I'm so glad that you're alright," Al said with a sigh when he walked into the room Ed was in.

"Hey, Al," Ed said, tiredness coating his words. "Didn't you study medial Alchemy once?"

"Yeah," Al replied.

"Then do you think you'll be able to speed up healing my arm?" He asked.

"Uh, I'll try." Al sounded nervous as he answered. Ed ignored it and held out his left arm. He felt Al undo the bandages that covered his skin and he heard the armor clap his hands together. "Here goes."

Ed never saw the Transmutation but he heard the familiar sparks and knew that Al was in the middle of the Transmutation. It lasted several seconds but when it finally ended Ed tested out his arm. It was stiff but his fingers moved. His wrist, yes. He finally had one working arm and gave Al a thumbs up and smiled.

"Thanks Al, I finally have an arm," Ed said cheerfully. It was driving him crazy not having a working arm and now he was finally able to eat on his own without using his feet.

"Glad I could help." There was a pause before Al continued, "How have you been lately?"

"Fine, I guess." Ed shrugged and leaned against the back of the couch. He didn't want to tell Al that he had been lying on the couch with the Colonel since he arrived at this house. "I'm pretty tired though."

"Do you want to have a nap?" Al suggested. "I don't mind. I'll leave if you want?"

Ed shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

Roy walked back into the room and took a seat on the couch beside Ed. Ed leaned into him, forgetting that Al was there. Roy wrapped his arm around him and Ed's newly healed hand held his shirt loosely as he lay there, wrapped in Roy's warmth. Someone pulled a blanket over him and he pulled it around him. He didn't care if Al was there, he would have found out sooner or later. Every one of Roy's subordinates knew so why shouldn't Al?

There was another knock on the door but Ed figured that Al answered it instead of Roy because he heard someone else walk into the house and a loud 'aww' sounded in the otherwise silent house.

Ed recognized that voice. Why did Havoc of all people have to come?

"Who knew that the chief had a soft side," he said in a sweet voice. "This is so sweet, I have to borrow Hughes camera."

"Havoc can you shut up," Roy snarled.

Havoc never made a sound again after that and Ed figured that he backed down at the angered tone in Roy's voice.

"Colonel," Ed heard Hawkeye say. "I brought you your paperwork for you to work on. The fuhrer wants them tomorrow so I suggest that you get them done quickly."

Roy sighed loudly. "I hate paperwork," he muttered.

"And I hate reports," Ed spoke up, alowing Roy a few lighthearted laughs. Ed's face turned a bright shade of red at the laughter.

"Sorry, Ed, but you still have to do them," Roy said and Ed pouted.

"Give me a break," he muttered. "I'm the one who ends up in the _hospital_ every time I have to do one your damn missions and I'm still expected to hand in a damn report."

"We'll talk about this later," Roy said gently.

Ed pouted but decided to listen to Roy and pester him about the reports later. Boy, the Colonel was in store for quite a lecture later on. Ed grinned as he slowly planned what he was going to say, or most likely yell.

"How's the chief?" Havoc asked suddenly.

"I'm fine," Ed muttered crossly. Why did everyone have to think something was wrong just because he was blind or in the hospital?

Roy stood up and adjusted Ed on the couch before walking across the room. He stopped somewhere and Ed heard whispering. He strained to hear what was being said but he only caught one word that Roy said, "blind."

The whispering stopped and Ed felt hope springing to life. Maybe Roy finally found a way to get his vision back? He heard Roy walking over to him and he placed a hand on his shoulder. What he said made Ed both grateful and scared.

"Ed," he began, his voice serious. "I know how to get back you're eyesight. But it will require surgery and I'm not sure if you want to go through with it."

Ed sat up and nodded. "I survived automail surgery. How bad can it be. And don't they knock you out before? I don't care if they do that to me."

Roy pulled Ed closer to him and embraced him in a hug. "I've talked to many doctors and if you you want to have the surgery it's scheduled for tomorrow at noon."

"I'll do it," Ed said. "I don't care what the cost is, I want to be able to see again."

Roy ran his hand through Ed's ruffled hair. "I know. But once you decide there's no backing down."

Ed nodded with a whole new found determination. "I've already made up my mind. We're doing it tomorrow at noon."

* * *

 **A/N...Thank you for all of your reviews the last chapter, I really appreciated them. Okay, so as I was writing this chapter I made a mistake in one of my sentences. It was the part right after Havoc came and it was suppose to go like this- "** ** _Ed's face turned a bright shade of red."_** **But when I wrote it this happened-** ** _"Ed's face turned a bright shade of Roy."_** **I don't know how Ed's face can turn a bright shade of Roy but who knows, maybe it can happen...? And as Greed likes to say,** ** _"Nothing is impossible."_**


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 11**_

Ed let out a groan and rolled over in the bed. He had a pounding headache and his mind felt it was full of fog. He heard a voice beside him but he couldn't make it out. He thought that there was a person calling his name but he was probably wrong. But the longer he listened the more clear the voice became until he was finally able to make out a few words.

"Edward, are you awake?"

Ed nodded his head in reply to what the person said. He was too tired to say anything else and he didn't exactly feel like talking.

"Hey Ed," the person said. "Open your eyes for a minute."

Ed, not sure whether or not to listen, decided to open his eyes and was immediately blinded by a bright light. He snapped them shut as fast as he could and turned to where he thought the voice was coming from.

"What kind of sick joke was that? You could have blinded me," Ed muttered.

He heard a laugh and a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations Ed, you can see again."

Ed was shocked but then realized that he wouldn't have been able see that bright light if he wasn't able to see. He opened his eyes and blinked away the blinding light and was able to faintly make out Roy. He never thought that he would be so happy to see the damn bastard in his life. He leapt from the bed and at Roy, smiling like crazy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said, unable to suppress the laughter that escaped him. He was so happy, he was able to see again. He never thought that anything would give him this much joy except for getting his brother's body back. The smile never left his face.

"I'm glad you're happy," Roy said softly. "I'm bringing you home right after the doctor makes sure you're okay to to, got it?"

Ed nodded and pulled away from Roy, the smile still large on his face. Even though everything was blurry and blindingly bright he was able to see and that's all that mattered. He talked with Roy for about ten minutes before a doctor walked into the room and began to examine Ed's eyes. He shone a small light into them which only irritated the blond and if it wasn't for Roy the doctor would have ended up like the pulp in the orange juice he drank a few weeks ago. He made it out with just a bruise on his cheek. After looking Ed over he decided that it was best that Ed went back home.

"But he needs to get plenty of rest. He's going to be sensitive to light for a few days so it's best if he's in dimmer places," the doctor explained.

Roy jotted it down on his growing list that the doctors gave him on how to care for Ed's injuries before stuffing it into his pocket and turning to find Ed half asleep an about to fall off the bed. He walked over and shook his shoulder. Ed yawned loudly and turned to look up at Roy.

"What?" He asked, his words a mumbled.

"Seriously Ed, you were wide awake a minute ago and now you're half asleep." Roy sighed. "I never know what's gonna happen to you."

Ed tried to glare at Roy but it came out as a yawn as his eyes fell lower. "Ed, we're going."

"Fine, I'm comin'," Ed mumbled. He tried to walk to the door but failed after few steps an would have fallen on his face if Roy didn't catch him. Deciding that Ed wouldn't make it three feet out the door he allowed Ed on his back and once he was sure he wasn't going to fall he made his way to the door. Before he left he turned back and looked at the doctor.

"Thanks for helping Ed, I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

"No problem," The doctor said without looking up from his clipboard. "Just make sure he gets some rest, he needs it."

Roy nodded and walked out of the small room. Ed clung onto him weakly and Roy figured he was either asleep or almost there. He knew that there was a car waiting for him outside and he walked out to find Hawkeye leaning casually against the side of her car. When she saw Roy she waved and Roy walked over. Ed moaned slightly and griped Roy's shirt in his sleep.

Hawkeye got into the driver's seat and as Roy went to put Es in the backseat Ed's hand tightened it's grip on Roy's shirt and it was impossible for Roy to get it off. He was latched on there and he didn't look like he was going to give up the fight any time soon.

"Just sit in the back with him," Hawkeye said, losing her patients.

Roy gave in and got into the back with Ed. As Hawkeye began to drive down the street towards his house Ed's head fell against Roy's shoulder, his mouth hanging open slightly. Roy smiled and placed his hand on Ed's back. It was just a distant memory now. He could barley recall the time when Ed hated his guts and wanted nothing to do with him. Ed was like his son now, the one person he would never want anything to happen to and the person he would protect with his life. Ed's hand loosened it's grip on his shirt but it still held on, it held onto the man he considered his father.

* * *

 **A/N...I know this chapter was short, it was barley even 1000 words, I'm so ashamed. I just had no idea what to write next and decided to just post this small bit now. There's probably only a few more chapters left but since I'm horrible at ending stories this might go on forever. The proof is that my other story** ** _The Golden Chimera_** **was suppose to be a one-shot. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this pitifully small chapter.**

 **Now for a mistake I made this chapter. I meant to write:** ** _and as Roy went to put Ed in the backseat._** **But instead I wrote:** ** _and as Roy went to put Roy in the backseat._** **Now that doesn't make much sense to me...**


	12. Chapter 12

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 12**_

It's been three weeks since Ed gained his sight and everything seemed to be going great. Ed was as cheerful as he use to be and has grown a lot closer to Roy because of the horrible events that have taken place. Ed spent most of his time with Roy and the two lived together in Roy's house. Roy treated Ed as if he was his own son, and did most of the things that he asked him to do (but the night he begged him to wear a miniskirt and let Hughes take a picture was out of the question). They've had no encounters with the Huntsman or the man that kidnapped Ed at all in that time frame. The two of them were living a peaceful life, in the small little house at the edge of Central.

Ed was sitting on the couch in Roy's living room, his eyebrows knit together, his gaze confused. He was holding a large book close to his face, squinting. Roy walked over and shook his shoulder.

"Everything alright, Ed?" He asked softly.

Ed shook his head and let the book fall to the floor. "I can't make out a damn word. It's all blurry."

Roy picked the book off the ground and sat beside Ed. "Maybe you should get some glasses. The doctor recommended them, he said that you'll be able to see easier."

Ed sighed and leaned against the back of the couch. "Now that reading's out of the picture...I dunno..."

"I'll read it for you," Roy offered, earning a confused look from Ed.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'll read you the book since you can't yourself," Roy said slowly. "If you want?"

"Whatever," Ed muttered.

He might have not looked it, but Roy could tell that Ed was eagerly awaiting for Roy to begin reading. The older man opened the book to the first page and began to read. Within time Ed had settled into a more comfortable position, curled in a blanket beside Roy, his head on his superiors shoulder, his eyes closed.

Roy was surprised when he saw the book Ed was reading. It had nothing to do with Alchemy. It was one of Roy's favorite books, and he kept it on his bookshelf. Pausing for a second, he glanced at his bookshelf and saw the spot where he kept the book was empty. He turned back to reading he book and noticed how peaceful Ed looked.

He silently read for nearly ten minutes before he noticed that Ed had fallen asleep on his shoulder. A small smile graced his face. "Good night," he whispered as he shut the book and set it aside on the table.

* * *

 **A/N...I'm sorry for this chapter being so short, even shorter than the last. It's just, I've been busy lately and I have writers block just for this story.**

 **Please, if anyone of you have any ideas I'd be overjoyed to hear them. I don't know what to do next, I really don't. This chapter was going to be longer but I just posted this now because I thought you've all waited long enough.**

 **I'd like to give a quick thanks to Brenne for reviewing last chapter and for Attackoneverything for giving me the idea of what to write for this short chapter. So please give my ideas, I don't care what I'm not going to abandon this story but I don't know what to write about next.**


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 13**_

Ed blinked open his eyes but everything was blurry. _Hmm, strange, I was able to see easier last night._ He shook his head. _No, I'm fine. I'm just tired. Yeah, that's it. I'm tired._

"You awake?" Roy whispered.

Ed nodded and blinked his eyes a few times to clear them. Everything was a bit more clear but still blurry. _I'll tell him later._ He thought.

"I have to go into work today," Roy whispered. "Hawkeye volunteered to take you to the eye doctor."

Ed flinched and shook his head repeatedly as fast as he could. "No doctor. No, I'm cured, I can see. I promise!"

Roy sighed. There was no way he believed what Ed was saying "The doctor said that you had to get your eyes check out if you get blurry vision. If not you might go blind again." Ed's breath caught in his throat but Roy continued. "So can you please not be so stubborn just this one time?"

"Can...can you take me?" Ed whispered rather uncertainty. "I-I mean...I know you have to work...but...I don't know anymore..."

Roy laid his hand on the top of Ed's golden head and smiled softly down at him. "I don't suppose one more day off work will hurt. I'll call Hawkeye and tell her I'll be away." He rose to his feet and looked down at Ed. "Now, when I do that I want you to go get ready."

Ed nodded and jumped off the couch and ran off to his room to change his clothes.

* * *

"Edward Elric," The receptionist called after glancing down at a handful of papers.

Roy rose from his seat and grabbed Ed's hand to pull him off of his chair when he gave no sign that he was going to move anytime soon. "It's alright, you don't have to be scared," Roy said softly.

Ed nodded as Roy pulled him after him as he followed the doctor. They soon reached a small, dimply lit room, and Ed felt his heart leap out of his chest. Not only did he have to go to the doctor, but he had to go in a small, dark room. This wasn't his day.

"Could you sit over there?" The eye doctor asked, pointing his beefy finger over to a chair in the room.

Ed, who was frozen in spot, forgot how to walk. It ended with Roy pulling him towards the chair and pushing him into it. The lights flicked on and Ed saw a small poster on the other side of the room. There were letters printed on it, going from big to small.

"Can you tell me what letters you can see?" The doctor asked.

 _This is easy_ , Ed thought as he began to recite the letters. "A, F, S, R, Y." He had to squint to see them now. "H...A...U...E...N...S..." He knit his eye brows together. "R...H...W...Z...G...I...P" He leaned forward in his chair to make out the last of them. "Z...Y...Q...E...O...P...F...S..."

He noticed Roy trying to stiffly a laugh and wondered briefly why he would be laughing. It wasn't until he heard the doctor telling Roy Ed's results that he felt embarrassment settle painfully over him. Turns out it wasn't as easy as he thought. _I can't believe I got everything wrong..._

After a few more tests it was obvious that Ed was in desperate need of glasses. They were standing in the store now, surrounded by shelves covered with countless glasses of various sizes, shapes, designs, and colors.

Roy held up a pair of steely black ones that reminded Ed of obsidian, but the blond shook his head and pulled out a bright red pair, the same shade of his signature coat.

"Are you sure you want those?" Roy asked.

Ed nodded his head. "Red's a flashy color, I like it."

Roy sighed but went ahead and purchased Ed's desired glasses. Now Ed had a pair of red glasses perched on his face, and Roy had to admit he looked good in glasses. "So, Ed, I was talking to Hawkeye this morning and she invited us over to her house for dinner. Are you okay with going?"

Ed nodded as he got into Roy's car. The Colonel began to drive down the street and silence settled over them until they pulled into Roy's drive way. Ed jumped out of the car and Roy unlocked the front door. Glancing at his watch, Ry realized that they've been out for several hours.

He should get lunch ready.

* * *

It was six o'clock and Roy and Ed were heading to Hawkeye's place. The sun was just beginning to set and there was a huge smile on Ed's face as he was chattering happily about his favorite Alchemic symbols and such.

Roy kept nodding his head, appearing to enjoy everything Ed told him, which excite Ed because the only other person who understood him when talking about Alchemy was Al, and sometimes even he didn't know stuff.

It was all great, everything was perfect, like it should be. But all that changed when some unseen force hit passengers side, breaking the window and sending the car swerving to the sidewalk. Roy tried his best to control the car but all attempts failed when the car flipped over onto it's back.

The ride was nauseating and Ed tried hard to ignore the unsettling sensation deep in his gut. The glass of the broken window was cutting at his skin and his head hurt from when it whacked against the front window. He could ever see the small smudge of blood on the clear glass.

When the car finally came to a halt Ed was feeling fairly dizzy and rushed to undo his seat belt.

"Ed, are you alright?" Roy called.

"What happened?" Ed, getting out of the car at the same time as Roy and walked around the car to stand behind him. But when he was standing at the Colonels side he noticed the older man standing stock-still, his eyes wide, full of disbelieving fear.

"Colonel, whats-" Then he saw it. Standing on the other side of the street, standing out against the setting sun was the Huntsman, menacing and cruel, it's obsidian ax glinting, sending the dying rays of light across the street.

It felt like his heart had stopped beating as he, too, stood motionless beside Roy, overwhelmed by fear. "Colonel," he whispered, but Roy put a hand on the blonds trembling shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." He pulled Ed int a hug. "If anything happens I want you to run away as fast as you can and leave me."

"But-"

"No 'buts'," Roy said. He turned back to the Huntsman and pulled his gloves out of his pocket. "I'll protect you. Stand back."

There was no point in arguing. He knew that Roy kept his word, and that's what worried him. What if he dies, it'll be all his fault?

In a flash like a bolt of lightning the Huntsman raced forward, Roy snapped his fingers but each burst of flame didn't so much as faze his opponent. The Huntsman ran right past Roy and used the flat of his obsidian blade to knock Ed into a wall. The blond had no time to escape as the handle of the ax was pressed against his throat and he had to use all of his strengthen to hold it away from him.

"Roy...help!" Ed rasped as the handle pressed down onto his exposed throat. Roy ran forward and grabbed the handle of the ax, pulling it away from Ed. The blond slipped the the ground and coughed, glad that the ax hadn't crushed his trachea.

He saw Roy fighting the Huntsman off to the side but it was obvious who had the upper hand. And as if to prove him right, the Huntsman simply swung the ax.

The sound of tearing flesh, the sound of blood splattering the ground. It was the sound of death. His eyes wide, Ed saw Roy fly through the air, hit a building, and slide to the ground. Without any fear of death, Ed ran forward and began to shake Roy, who's head only lolled limply against his chest.

"Roy, Roy!" Ed shouted. "Please. You can't be dead, you can't!"

He refused to believe that the Colonel, there was just no way. "Roy, please wake up," Ed pleaded.

He never noticed the Huntsman advancing, raising its ax, until he was knocked to the side, hitting the wall with a loud bang, his head whacking against the bricks. Ed scrambled to his feet and saw the world spinning around him. The sudden spinning caused him to fall back down to his feet, but that didn't stop his from going to Roy. Ignoring the nausea and the worsening headache, he stumbled forward as fast as he could, dashing past the advancing Huntsman, and over to Roy.

He was just about there when a gunshot shook through the air and hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him away from Roy. He screamed in sudden anger. "Let me go you bastard, I have to get to Roy! He's hurt."

"Ed, please." The voice was surprisingly familiar but he was too worked up to care.

"You bastard! Let go of me!" Ed tried to squeeze out of the others grip but they held tight. "Please."

He was being forced away from the battle scene, but as he scanned the mild wreckage the Huntsman was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone? Was the fight all a part of his imagination? But the pain in his head told him it wasn't a dream and the fact that he could see Roy lying dead told him that this was reality and not some made up world. But he just couldn't believe it was true.

He could feel his sadness welling up inside him and he put up the struggle again but stopped quickly afterward.

"Ed, it's alright."

Wait, was that Hawkeye? Slowly, he allowed himself to stop struggling and fell to his knees, his shoulders trembling. Hawkeye appeared in front of him, gently pulling him towards her. He buried his face in her chest and cried silently. Hawkeye pulled him onto her lap and gently stoked the back of his head.

"It's alright, just relax," she said softly.

"But Roy. He's-" His voice broke and was replaced by a series of sobs.

His vision dimmed, his head spun, he felt sick to his stomach. He had enough of all this, he wanted it all to go away. _Why does this have to happen to me?_ He thought before falling limp in Hawkeye's arms.

* * *

 **A/N...Finally updated. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and sorry for all of you who love Roy, he's kinda dead. But this stories going to take an approach to Parental!Rizaed and possibly Hughes as well, and maybe Gracia. R.I.P. Roy, sorry for ending you, and you're barley even...29...no 30...your age has always been unclear. You'll be greatly missed...well, some people might be glad that you're gone. But I'll miss you...**

 **And Thank you Attackoneverything for giving me this idea, I'm going to continue it the next chapter, so stay tuned.**

 **I'd also like to thank Brenne and Attackoneverything for reviewing last chapter, I love your feedback, It helped be write better and faster :)**

 **Now, here's a mistake made this chapter. I meant to write: " Ed ran forward and began to shake Roy." But instead I wrote: " Ed ran forward and began to shave Roy.' Shave. But...where would Ed get the supplies to shave him, unless he Transmuted them. Then he'll need some carbon, silica, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, iron. And that's just to make the blade...but if he wants a handle, which I'll assume is plastic, he'll need: Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, fluorine, silicone, sulfur, phosphorus...I'm gonna stop the list now...**


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 14**_

Hawkeye held Ed gently in her arms as he silently passed out, his sobs ceasing, though his body still trembled. Her deep brown gaze floated over to where Roy's mangled body lay and she felt her heart sink. There was nothing she could do now. Roy was dead and there was no changing that. But Ed was still alive, and he's probably seen something horrible, worse than what Haweye had just seen.

The sniper removed her coat and wrapped it around Ed before rising to her feet with the boy held in her arms. Ed's hand clenched her shirt and held tight. _Poor kid_ , she thought as she gazed down at him with pained eyes. What had he gone through?

She slowly made her way to her house after deciding that the injuries weren't severe enough to have to take him to the hospital. Once she had laid Ed on the couch she went to phone Al. The conversation was quick and ended with Al rushing to Hawkeye's place.

It took about ten minutes and by the time Al arrived Ed was beginning to stir. "Brother! What happened to him?" The armor turned to look at Hawkeye who looked sadly at the ground.

"I don't know much but I think that they were attacked. The Colonel was protecting Ed, but...he didn't make it." Saying that made reality even more painstakingly real. Her superior officer was dead. What was going to happen to her and Roy's other subordinates?

This time Ed rolled over in the couch, pulling the thin blanket Hawkeye had placed on top of him closer to him. "Don't..." Ed mumbled in his sleeping state.

Al walked over to Ed and took his hand in his. "Ed, it's alright. I'm here."

Ed's eyes shot open at hearing Al's voice and he blinked at him before knitting his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Al? Where are we?" He mumbled, his eyes sliding closed as he spoke.

"We're at Ms. Hawkeye's," Al answered.

Ed nodded but just before he drifted off he mumbled, "Who's...Hawkeye?" Then fell limp.

"Hawkeye, I think somethings wrong with brother. Can you call a doctor?" He asked.

Hawkeye nodded and disappeared from the room to phone a doctor, knowing that what Al said was true. something about Ed was off, and no one knew what.

* * *

 _What's going on? Why do I hear voices? They sound familiar but...I dunno? Maybe I'm just losing it?_ Someone placed a hand on his head and he squirmed away from the touch. Suddenly hands held him in place and he tried to break away from those as well.

"You brat, why can't you just stay still?" A voice growled.

Ed tried to squirm away again but ultimately failed. For some reason he felt unusually weak, and his mind was foggy. He sank back down and forced open his eyes only to be greeted by unfamiliar faces. The only face that was familiar was the metal helmet of his younger brother. Ed knit his eyebrows together as he tried to comprehend what was going on. "Al, where am I?"

"You're at Hawkeye's place, big brother," Alphonse informed him.

"Whose Hawkeye?" Ed asked. "And why am I in his house."

"Edward, is everything alright?" Another person spoke, it was a woman with blond hair and brown eyes.

"Who're you?" He asked.

The woman seemed mildly surprised but stretched out her hand and tried to brush Ed's bags out of his face but the blond pushed himself away from her, confused to why she was touching him.

"Don't you remember me?" She asked. "I'm Riza Hawkeye."

"I'm sorry," Ed whispered.

Then another person pushed his way into Ed's view. "Quit questioning him and let him get some rest," the man snapped.

"Yes sir," Hawkeye said quickly.

Al turned to look down at Ed. "Get some sleep, big brother, we'll explain everything to you when you wake up." He pulled a blanket up to Ed's shoulders just as the blonds eyes slid shut and he plunged into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Al ran hand through Ed's hair slowly, having noticed that his brother's face seemed more relaxed than it was before. His brother kept mumbling in his sleep, along with the occasional tossing and turning. Right now he was curled into a tight ball, the blanket tangled around him, his head tucked into his chest.

"Alphonse, you may want to hear this," Dr. Knocks called softly.

Al stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the two adults sitting off to the side. "What is it? Is it bad?"

Dr. Knox shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it."

Al rose up from where he had been sitting and made his way over to Dr. Knox and Hawkeye. Dr. Knox began to explain to them what he managed to find out about Ed.

"I can't be sure but if what you told me is true than he witnessed a very traumatizing event earlier and I think that's what's causing his memory loss."

"Memory loss?" Al repeated. "How?"

"As I was going to say. I think that he was so shaken up from the event that his mind blocked out everything. I've only seemed something like this happen once before but suddenly all at once all of the memories came rushing back and they had a mental breakdown. And if that happens to Ed, I don't think he'll ever be the same."

Hawkeye glanced behind her at Ed's sleeping form, a saddened look in her eyes. "The poor kid."

"If Ed's memories do come rushing back he'll need people there to comfort him, familiar faces. I don't doubt that he'll just breakdown right then and there."

Everyone was silent for several minutes before Dr. Knox rose to his feet. "I'd better get going. You can call if you need anything, though I don't know how I could be of much help."

Then he was gone, leaving Al and Hawkeye to stare at Ed, both probably thinking the same thing. _Poor kid._ And both probably grieving their loss.

* * *

 **A/N...There! Finished! If you notice that half of this chapter is infested by spelling mistakes I forgot where I left off when proof reading and just guessed. Probably missed several paragraphs. I also had the next several chapters already written but my damn computer decided to go ahead and delete them. All of my hard work. Three thousand words!**

 **And before I go I'd like to thank Alexkcat, Brenne, and Attackoneverything for reviewing last chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 15**_

It's been only two days but Ed still didn't have his memories back. But he wasn't back to his old self. In fact. He seemed very off. He jumped at every noise and barley ate. Al had tried to ask him what was wrong but the response was the same anytime. A shrug and, "I don't know. I feel kinda different somehow. Tired, I also have a headache that won't go away, but..I dunno anymore."

Al couldn't help but feel worried. Each night Ed's usual nightmares seemed worse but when he woke up he was unable to recall anything. Right now Ed was sitting cross legged on the couch, staring off into space.

It was around noon and Hawkeye was getting lunch ready. She was trying to make something that Ed would want to eat since he needed food. Al clanked across the room and sat down beside his brother, who leaned against the cool armor.

"Al."

Al looked down at his older brother. "What is it?"

There was a long silence before, "Who's that Mustang guy you and Ms. Riza were talking about earlier?"

"So you heard..."

Ed wasn't suppose to hear that conversation. Since he was sleeping he and Hawkeye were talking in hushed voices, but apparently he was awake and heard what they were saying.

"Well, he was a great guy, and he passed away a few days ago, you knew him well...you even thought of him as your father, but you can't remember him anymore. You were beside him when he died." Al decided to tell him everything. If his memories came rushing back then he would have remembered everything anyway. But if they didn't come back then it would mean nothing that Roy was dead.

Ed only nodded his head slowly, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "I'm sorry, Al. That I can't remember."

"It's not your fault," Al insisted, but Ed shook his head.

"If it wasn't my fault then I'd still remember."

Then silence.

It was then that Hawkeye walked into the living room, carrying a plate of food. "Edward, are you hungry?"

There was no reply but Hawkeye handed the plate to Al, who tried to talk Ed into eating the food. Eventually Ed reluctantly agreed and slowly ate the turkey sandwich. As Al watched Ed he began to think about something he's been wondering since yesterday. If Ed couldn't remember the horrible thing that happened to Roy then why was he still different.

"Brother, do you remember the Huntsman?"

Ed froze mid bite, his eyes widening. He looked down. "How could I forget that bastard? He's tried to kill me so many times I've lost count."

So he did remember somethings, but not everything. Maybe later he would question him some more, but for now he figured he should let Ed think about something else. Ed continues eating his lunch after several minutes of staring at nothing and when he was done he pushed himself away from Al and curled up, hiding himself beneath the blanket.

Maybe he needed some time to himself, let him think things over. And maybe if he thought things over he'll remember. But if his memories come rushing back...Al still didn't want to think about what it might do to him.

* * *

Another day passed and Roy's death still hung fresh in everyone's mind. It was hard to forget. His funeral was going on right now but Ed decided to stay away from it. He didn't remember who Roy was anyway, why should he go to his funeral.

Al was in the living room reading and Alchemy book while Ed sat in the backyard playing with Black Hayate. The dog looked up at him as he ran his hand across the soft black and white fur.

"Why don't I remember anything?" He asked.

The dog barked and nuzzled his hand when it had stopped it rhythmic stroking. "I guess you're not much of a help."

The dog looked back up at him and Ed tossed the tennis ball across the yard for the dog to fetch, but Hayate stayed where he was. Instead of getting the ball, Hayate barked and continued looking up at him, head tilted to the side.

"You mutt, go get the ball." Ed pointed a finger at the other side of the yard. But the dog didn't move. Eventually Ed had enough of the nonsense and walked into the house, the dog silently perusing him. He sat down heavily on the couch, Hayate taking a seat beside him.

Maybe he'll remember one day...hopefully.

There was a creak of a door and Hawkeye walked into the room. The funeral was probably over now. Ed watched in silence as she walked into the kitchen before turning to look back at the floor. If what Al said was true, he was very close to that Mustang guy who died, and he didn't even show up at his funeral.

Should he have gone...no, it made no sense. He sat there thinking, thinking about what Mustang was like, but he was unable to form a mental picture of him. He searched his mind trying and remember but the only thing that turned up was a dark smudge among his memories. Distant echoes of words, deep and ordering.

Suddenly, as he sat there with his eyes closed, he saw a person wearing a military uniform, cold eyes, white gloved hand embroidered with a Transmutation Circle. Then it was gone in a swirl of fire, only to be replaced with more images, each flashing with blinding speed. Military men playing chess, him fighting the man with the cold eyes, him standing in front of a broad man.

He was in a hospital, in a laboratory fighting an armored man. What was going on? As more images flashed through his mind he could make out words.

 _It's no use kid. You can't go around tryin' to bring every living creature that dies on you back to life, Edward. It's not possible and It's no healthy._

 _Congratulations. You're now officially a dog of the military._

 _Are you going to sit there wallowing in self pity with a suit of armor for a brother or are you going to get up and make a real contribution to Alchemy?_

 _You're going to wipe away your tongue if you keep doing that._

 _Don't worry, I'll protect you._

"A-Al," Ed said suddenly. "I don't know...It's...I...help..."

"Ed! Oh god." Al panicked. "Hawkeye! It's happening!"

Hawkeye came running into the room just as Ed zones out completely.

Suddenly realization hit him, everything made perfect sense. He was able to comprehend everything he saw, every part of his past he'd forgotten. After Transmuting Al's soul Roy came and got him to join the military, he was a State Alchemist, he thought of Roy as a father. A tear streaked his face and his body trembled as he saw himself laughing with Roy, crying in his arms, waking up from a nightmare and having him there. Roy was with him when he lost his sight, he was with him every step of the way to regaining it, and stayed with him even afterwards. And he didn't even go to his funeral.

The tears were flowing freely down now, he was shaking, someone was holding him, he leaned into their warmth. He heard words whispering into his ear yet was unable to comprehend any of them. He was crying, he couldn't stop. It hurt. He wished that he never got the memories back, they were too painful.

"Ed, it's alright, relax." He was able hear the kind voice now, and he pushed himself further into the gentle warmth. "It'll be over soon."

"I-I n-never went t-to his f-funeral," Ed whimpered through his frame wracking sobs. "N-now he's g-gone, and I n-never even got t-to say g-good-goodbye."

"Brother, it's alright." Al tried to soothe him but failed when Ed's tears began to fall harder. Hands wrapped around him and he was pulled closer into someone. A blanket was draped over his shoulders and he buried his head in it. Soon it would be all over, but he knew that the pain was going to last. And possibly forever.

* * *

 **A/N...Chapter 15, finished. Turned chapters 15 and 16 weren't deleted I just temporarily transferred them to another word document but forgot which one. I have dozens. Oh, and the italics at the end of this chapter were things that Roy said in both the anime, manga, and this story. I only did the few that I have on memory 'cause I didn't feel like searching for good quotes from the anime and manga. I'd like to thank Attackoneverything and Brenne for reviewing last chapter. If I never got reviews this story would have been terrible because I wouldn't think anyone liked reading it. Thank you so much for all of the reviews I've got :) Hopefully this chapter I can exceed thirty.**


	16. Chapter 16

_I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 16**_

Hawkeye held Ed gently in her arms as he sobbed into the blanket Al had draped over his shoulders. She always knew that this would have eventually happened to Ed but she was never prepared for it. "Shh, It's alright," Hawkeye whispered softly, running her hand gently through his tangled golden hair.

At her kind words, Ed subconsciously gripped the front of her shirt with his trembling hand and began shivering. Hawkeye held him close, one hand on the back of his head while the other wrapped around his back.

"Brother?" Al asked uncertainty. He hated feeling helpless like this. When there was nothing he could do.

Hawkeye looked up at him and glanced sadly down at Ed, who was staring straight up at her, his eyes brimming with tears and clouded from realization. Suddenly he threw his arms around her and buried his face in her chest, shaking.

"Relax, it's alright." Hawkeye ran her hand through his hair.

"H-he's gone," Ed choked out, his voice shaking. "I-I'll n-never get to-to see him a-again."

What Ed just said broke everyone's heart. It must have been hard for him. Very hard for him. Hawkeye continued whispering soft words to him as she held him gently in her arms, running her hand through his silky hair.

"I'm sorry," Ed whispered. His sobbing increased. "I'm just a fool. Say it. I'm an idiot."

That surprised everyone.

"I didn't even go to his funeral. He must hate me for it."

Hawkeye's eyes widened and she looked down at Ed, who was still buried in the blanket. "He doesn't hate you, Ed. He loved you."

That seemed to calm Ed down somewhat. It was about ten minutes of them like that before Ed was finally able to fall asleep. Hawkeye held him for a few minutes after that before laying him across the couch, pulling the blanket over his shivering frame. A sadness still hung in the air long after Ed fell asleep, because both knew that the trauma Ed received from that experience was terrible.

* * *

In the morning Ed sat glumly on the couch, a blanket draped over his shoulders, and a steaming glass in his hands. There was little to no color in his face but the pain he held was easily noticeable. Both Hawkeye and Al were giving Ed the space he needed. The boy wanted nothing more than to be alone, and the two respected that.

Ed shakily brought the rim of the steaming glass to his lips but held back before forcing himself to take a reluctant sip. It was sweet. Al must have made it. He knew Ed better than he knew himself. His head dipped down, his face forming a frown, his eyebrows knitting together.

Then he relaxed, his eyes sliding shut. "What am I thinking," he muttered to himself, quietly enough so no one could hear. "I'd only kill myself. It's impossible." He had to stop letting himself thinking about _that_. It was impossible, and he had a first hand experience with the devastation it inflicted.

He tugged the blanket so it wrapped its way further around him before placing the cup onto the coffee table and sinking into the warmth of the blanket. His eyes slid closed and his head hit the pillow. He stayed awake, not really tired, he just wished that thought would go away.

"Brother, are you sleeping?" Alphonse whispered.

Edward opened his eyes and gazed at the suit of armor with sad eyes. How could he even _think_ about doing it again after what it cost Al. "I'm awake. What'd you want?"

"Nothing," Al said quickly.

Ed nodded his head but continued to just stare silently at Al as he sat down in the armchair across from him. "Are you feeling alright?" the armor asked. "You're rather pale."

"I'm fine," Ed said. "It's just...never mind."

Al knew his brother too well to know that he was fine. Something was troubling him and he was hiding it. He continued to stare at his older brother before Ed rolled over so his back was to Al. "I'm gonna take a nap. Please don't wake me."

Ed shut his eyes, wishing that sleep would take wash over him. And finally, after several silent minutes, he found himself absorbed straight into a dream. A dream he wished he could just leave.

* * *

 _A mangled body spread out before him. The body of Roy Mustang. He was covered with blood, his limbs almost torn right off, deep gashes running across his pale skin. Then his head turned with a snap and his empty eye sockets stared straight at him, boring into his very soul._

" _I hate you, you damn brat. Why did I even let you into the military. You should have died alongside you're damned mother. Al, too. He's just an abomination." Roy's mouth barley moved as he whispered the words. The words hurt. They truly hurt._

 _Roy rose to his feet and dragged his half severed legs over the blood-soaked ground towards Ed._

" _Stop! Stop it!" Ed shouted, falling to the ground and holding his hands over his ears as the zombie Roy continued insulting him and his family. Tears ran down his face and he screamed out his pain. "Stop! Please! Please..."_

* * *

"Ed!"

Ed jumped awake at the sudden voice in his ear. His eyes shot open and looked around wildly. He was still in Hawkeye's living room, on the couch, using Al as a pillow. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding loudly, the sound echoing through his head. He had been crying, and he still was. It was too real, to painful.

He curled up and Al pulled him closer. "I'm sorry, Al. It's all my fault," he sobbed. "I put you there, and I don't know how to change you back."

Hawkeye, who had been watching silently at the sidelines, walked forward and knelt down beside the couch, offering the distressed boy a half-hearted smile. "Relax, everything's alright."

"No it's not," Ed cried. "It's not. He-He hates me. He said so. I'm just a fool."

"Who hated you?" Hawkeye asked gently, dreading the answer.

"Roy," Edward choked out. "My-My dad hates me."

That one sentence could make anyone feel broken. The way Ed had tears running down his face, the wail in his voice, the sobs that shook his body. And the way he just called Roy his dad. And he thought his dad hated him.

* * *

 **A/N...Yeah, I know it's short but I just thought that it was a good place to end. I've been having trouble with this story lately. I have the next chunk of plot worked out but I just have to find a way to fill in that large gap. Hopefully next chapter it will get...better.**

 **Anyway. I actually have over thirty reviews for this story. It's the most I've ever had. It just makes me so happy knowing that people actually like reading my work. Each review I get just makes my day. Thanks all of you who took the time to review. You're all the best :)**


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 17**_

"Major Elric," the man from the military affairs handed Ed a small envelope. Ed took it in his hands, knowing that what he held was going to change his future forever, and dreaded to find out what it said. With shaking fingers, Ed opened the envelope and took out the slip of paper contained within it.

 _Major Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist, you are to report immediately to General Basque Grands office until further orders. Because of the death of Colonel Roy Mustang, General Grand is going to be your new commanding officer._

Ed tore his eyes away, his heart beating in his chest. What was happening. Breda, Falman, Fuery, and Havoc were being sent to the North, South, East, and West. Hawkeye was going to be the presidents personal aid. Something was going on, something dark. The four of Roy's lowest ranking subordinates were away packing and Hawkeye was already with the Fuhrer.

Ed was alone, all alone. He walked through the halls, hearing whispers all around him. The horrible things people sad about the fallen, the deceased. The horrible whispers about Roy and his closest subordinates. Ed was among the rumors that have been spreading like wild fire through all of HQ.

It hurt him. Hearing all of those terrible things about Roy, the man close enough to him to be his father, it burned his soul. And he felt weak, but ever since Roy's death, when no one was looking, he would sit there and cry. It was to much to handle, too much to take in, it was too painful to take in. He hated it.

When he got to Grand's office door he heard harsh whispers, and dreaded the second he was to pull the handle. It was a few seconds, after slowing his breathing, that he twisted and pushed, emerging into a new future.

"So you finally decided to show up," a gruff voice said impatiently. It belonged to none other than the large, burly man sitting behind a large oak desk on the opposite side of the room.

Ed saluted slowly, knowing that he had to, Brigadier General Basque Grand was a well known and greatly feared soldier on the battle field. He's heard stories about what he was like on the Ishballan front and it scared him.

"Yes sir." Ed was silent after those two forced words.

Grand narrowed his eyes before pointing to a pile of papers on his desk and then at the table where the rest of his subordinates were working. "I expect this to be done by lunch. If it isn't then you're going hungry."

 _Like I was going to eat anyway,_ Ed thought, reluctantly grabbing the papers and sitting as far from the other soldiers as he could.

They were whispering and Ed, unluckily, was able to hear them perfectly.

"So we're stuck working with this runt now," a man said, loud enough for Ed to hear even though he didn't strain to listen.

"Yeah," the oldest, around 40, said. "Since that Mustang bastard died they scattered about his subordinates. Too bad we couldn't have gotten that sniper of his. She's hot."

"But wasn't she dating Mustang?" The youngest asked.

"Their relationship was secret. Not everyone knows," the oldest replied.

"But we got stuck with this brat." The man glared at Ed before turning back to the conversation. "Let's just hope he goes and dies in a ditch somewhere. Maybe then our reputation wouldn't be at stake."

"We can only wish."

Ed, who had been trying to do his work, squeezed the pen so hard with his automail arm that it snapped and ink flew out of it. Most of it got in his hair and stained his clothes. "Sh-Shut up. Roy wasn't a bastard. And I'm not going to die in a ditch." His voice shook and tears threatened to fall. But he held them back. "You bastards. If anyone's going to die in a ditch than I hope it's you."

"What'd you say brat?" The strongest looking men shouted, grabbing Ed by the collar of his shirt and yanking him to his feet.

Ed grit his teeth but said nothing, only glared at the man an held back the tears that were about to spill. The oldest man put his hand on the younger mans shoulder. "Just put his down. You don't want to get in trouble by General Grand, do you?"

Ed was dropped to the ground and the man turned away angrily. "Like I care what happens to that brat. I hope he dies," he whispered under his breath.

Ed had enough. It was too painful. He couldn't take nay more of it. He rose to his feet and ran, out of the room, down the hall, as far away as he could. Nobody bothered to call him back, no one bothered to chase after him. All of them hated him and he knew it. He ran blindly, tangled in his own messed up emotions. He only slowed down when he was out of breath, leaning against a tree outside, on the opposite side of the large field in HQ.

His legs gave way and he fell to his knees, not knowing what he was going to do. He couldn't go back there, he couldn't. There was a sound behind him and when he turned he saw Hawkeye standing there.

"Edward, did something happen?" She asked, oblivious to what had happened. When Ed didn't respond she took a few steps closer. "Edward?"

He couldn't take it anymore. The pain from losing Roy, everything was building up like a volcano that begged to explode and destroy thievery in sight. That's when he broke in his own form of that uncontrollable volcano. Tears ran down his cheeks and he jumped at Hawkeye, burring his face in her chest.

"I-I can't t-take it anymore," he wailed silently. Haweye began to stroke the back of his head. "It's t-t-too much. It hurts." He fell to his knees and hung his head. "I miss Roy."

Hawkeye knelt down and pulled Ed closer to him, holding him close to her. Ed couldn't stop the tears that spilled down his face and dripped onto the green grass. He couldn't stop his trembling limbs. It was just too much. He's had enough. He couldn't go on like this.

"Edward, how about I take you home during lunch?" Hawkeye offered, pulling Ed closer to her still. "You can think about if you want to come here tomorrow. I can say you're sick."

Ed nodded his head as Hawkeye pulled him to his feet and walked him across the field. Ed clung to her arm, not caring about the other officers staring at the two of them. He really couldn't care less at that moment. He just wanted to get out of that living hell. He never wanted to see that place again.

* * *

 **A/N...Sorry it took so long for me to update! I just didn't feel like writing this at the moment and took a break, that's all. Thanks to Attackoneverything, Brenne, and TransformingTurtle for reviewing last chapter. I really appreciate it. Anyway, sorry for the long wait and sorry for the short chapter. I'll try to update sooner next time. I'd really appreciate any feedback for this chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 _ **Chapter 18**_

During lunch Hawkeye did exactly what she had promised and drove him back to her place. When he got there he was greeted by Al but he just ignored him and fell heavily onto the couch. Hawkeye was off in the other room talking to Al so Ed was all alone. He stared at the ceiling, recalling what those men had said to him.

 _'Let's just hope he goes and dies in a ditch somewhere. Maybe then our reputation wouldn't be at stake.'_

 _'Like I care what happens to that brat. I hope he dies.'_

So many death threats from the same group of people. Ed rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. He willed himself not to just break down again right there. He heard footsteps enter the living room.

"Edward, I'm going back to work. I'll be home at five thirty."

Ed never answered. He let his eyes closed and soon heard the front door shut and a car driving away. He released a shaky breath and clenched his trembling hand. Why was everyone leaving him?

"Brother?" A voice spoke up, distracting him from his thoughts. "What happened at HQ? No one knows."

Ed didn't answer that time as well. He couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone. It was too...too...hard. He barley wanted to face the truth for himself but now he was staring it in the face. He wanted all of the pain to go away disappear, never to resurface again. But he knew that was impossible, that the past he so much desired was gone, and that his future was dark and lifeless.

He didn't mean to break down just then, but it just happened. Tears ran down his face and he couldn't stop them from coming. It had started out as one, then two, and then an entire rainfall of them coming down all at once. It alerted Al, who clanked over to Ed.

"Brother, are you alright?" He asked.

"Y-yeah," he said quickly, wiping away the tears that continued to fall down his face. "I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Al questioned.

Ed never answered after that. He saw something that caught his eye. A dark shadow outside the window, obsidian eyes staring at him. His breath caught in his throat as panic overtook him.

"N-no, this...this c-can't be happening," Ed gasped, his breathing too fast. His mind spun, his vision blurred. He couldn't breathe! He distantly heard someone calling out his name before he fell forward, into darkness, into silence, into fear.

* * *

"...ther!"

"Ed..rd."

The voices he heard were distant and he was unable to comprehend anything that he heard. His thoughts were a jumbled mess and he couldn't think straight. He didn't know where he was, what was happening, or who was there. He could feel someone touching him but it was like his nerve signals were broken because he barley felt anything.

"Answer me."

The voices were clearer now. He tried to listen to whoever was talking to him but only managed a small, pitiful moan. The voices grew in worry and he forced open his eyes only to be greeted by swimming images that blurred together. It took a few seconds but when he was finally able to see clearly he saw Hawkeye and Alphonse leaning over him. Noticing he was conscious, Hawkeye helped him sit up and kept her arm on his back as he sat on the floor.

"What happened?" He groaned, rubbing his sore head.

"You just fainted," Alphonse told him.

Then he remembered. He whipped his gaze to the window, but it was gone. He shook his head to clear it and tried to stand up but his legs gave way beneath him and he fell back down to the floor. Hawkeye then helped him stand, taking most of his weight as she led him to the couch, allowing him to collapse into the soft cushions.

"Edward?" Hawkeye asked softly. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah." Ed nodded his head. Uncertainty shone dimly in his eyes despite of his answer. "Everything's alright."

Hawkeye didn't look like she believed him but she shook it off and gently touched the back of Ed's head, causing the boy to hiss and flinch away from the pain.

"You hit your head pretty hard when you fell," she reported.

"I'm fine," Ed told her. He pushed her away and lied on the couch, his head int he pillow he kept there. "I'm tired. Leave me alone."

No one talked after that. The room was quiet. Ed just lied there, hiding his face int he pillow. He didn't want anyone to see. Something told him that his life was only going to get worse, but he didn't know what could possible make what he was living through worse. But after seeing what he saw just now...he had a good idea of what the future had in store for him. A single tear fell. The remembered something he didn't want to remember, the face of Roy's killer, the face of his hunter, and the face he saw in the window. It was the hunter and he was the prey. If he was right, then he was going to get his revenge. He was going to avenge Roy's death even if it killed him.

 _I miss you, Roy, and I'm going to kill The Huntsman. I love you, bastard._

* * *

 **A/N...Sorry for the short chapter. I don't really have much inspiration for this story so writing it's been a pain. Sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. I didn't do a very good proof reading job. Anyway, thanks to Brenne, AnimeFreakShips, Amber89107, Mel Mad, and TransformingTurtle for reviewing last chapter. I didn't expect I was going to get any reviews because of how long it took me to update. Thanks. I'll try to update as soon as possible.**


	19. A REAL CHAPTER!

**WARNING: I am relying only on spell check for spelling mistakes, so please let me know about any ones my computer missed (you can't trust computers to find spelling mistakes)**

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist_

 **Chapter 19**

Ed sat down on the couch in Hawkeye's living room, deep in thought. He just didn't know what to do. He really, really wanted to kill the huntsman but he had no idea how. Nothing came to him. He sighed and leaned back.

"Edward, do you want some lunch?" Hawkeye asked, walking into the room and sitting beside Ed on the couch.

Ed shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

Hawkeye frowned. "Are you sure you don't want anything? You haven't eaten anything lately. I'm worried about you."

Ed turned away. "There's no need to worry. I'll eat when I'm hungry." A tap on his shoulder causing Ed to loom over and into Hawkeye's concerned eyes.

"Edward, you're losing too much weight. You're too skinny. You have to eat to keep up your strength."

"Strength,' Ed scoffed. "What strength do I even have. Roy was killed because of my complete idiocy. I have no strength. I'm just a pathetic weak human being who can't even save my dad."

"Ed, it's not your fault-"

"Yes it is!" Ed shouted, rising to his feet. "That Huntsman bastard was after me! Me! Not Roy! If I wasn't with Roy, he'd still be alive. Why did it have to be him?! Why not me?!"

"Edward, just calm down," Hawkeye ordered softly. "It's not your fault."

"It is my fault!" Ed screamed. "It's my idiocy that killed Roy." Warm tears streamed down his face. "Don't you are tell me it's not my fault! I know it is so stop lying to me!"

"Edward-"

"NO!" Ed fell heavily to his knees. "I killed Roy. It's all my fault."

"Edward...Alphonse!"

Armor clanked into the room. "Big brother!" Large hands grabbed at Ed, puling him off the floor. "Brother, are you alright?"

"Let go of me, Al," Ed complained loudly, pushing himself away from his brothers arms an falling heavily to the floor. Al reached forward but Ed slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me. I don't want to kill you either."

"Big Brother?"

"Edward?"

Suddenly, hands grabbed at Ed and pulled him close. Ed struggled against the hold but soon realized that there was no escape. He fell limp in his captors arms, crying soundlessly.

"Edward just relax" Hawkeye whispered softly. "There, that's it. Just relax."

Ed wiped at his eyes with his free hands.

"You didn't kill Roy" Hawkeye told him gently. "You didn't, so stop blaming yourself."

Ed nodded his head slightly. Soon, he was passed from Hawkeye to Al, who cradled E din his arms gently. Ed's eyes were squeezed shut tight, tears still leaking out of the corners. All he could think about was Roy. He had to kill the Huntsman. He had to. He had to avenge Roy's death. He had to. That's was what e was going to do. He was going to kill the Huntsman no matter what.

* * *

Al gently placed his sleeping brother onto the couch and pulled the blanket up to his shoulder. "What happened to big brother, Miss. Hawkeye?"

"I don't know," Hawkeye admitted. "He was sitting there calmly before insisting that he was the reason Roy was killed."

Alphonse nodded. "I wonder how much longer he's going to be like this?"

"I don't know, Alphonse," Hawkeye said, patting Al's metal shoulder reassuringly. "But I don't think it'll be for much longer"

"I hope big brother doesn't feel guilty for long," Alphonse said. "He always holds enough guilt."

"I know, Alphonse," Hawkeye said. "Just give him some time."

"Yeah, but big brother's impatient must have rubbed off on me." Al sat down on the floor and pet Ed's head, wishing he cold feel. "Sleep well, big brother." _And please don't blame yourself_. He added silently.

* * *

 **A/N...There's a chapter! It's been over two months so I decided to just write something and post it. I know it's sloppily written, might not make a lot of sense. I just felt lie I had to post something since every time I see this story I feel guilty for not updating it in so long. So here you go. And to clear a few things up, Ed was having a delayed guilt for thinking that it was his fault that he killed Roy and that everything was his fault. Sorry if the chapter doesn't make any sense. This was pretty much a side chapter that does nothing to advance the plot.**

 **Anyway, I'll post the next chapter maybe in a month. I'm currently on summer break from school and have no way to get in contact with my friend. My friend helped me come up with the idea for this chapter and created the huntsman. He drew many drawings, made a backstory, and everything else about him. I need to ask him something about the Huntsman so I wont be able to update until then. School starts again next month, and I'll write the next chapter as soon as I find out. So please be patient until then.**


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